The American Health Care Act was supposed to go to the House floor for a vote yesterday, and then for a vote today. The votes are not there, and the bill is now being pulled.

BREAKING: House Republicans, short of votes, withdraw health care bill.

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 24, 2017

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., withdrew the legislation after Trump called him and asked him to halt debate without a vote, according to Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong. Just a day earlier, Trump had demanded a House vote and said if the measure lost, he would move on to other issues.

Speaker Paul Ryan: "We came really close today, but we came up short." pic.twitter.com/RThqwOwyj5

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 24, 2017

Psssst, Speaker Ryan… you really should have handled this better.

Shouldn’t the 'member-driven process to reach consensus' have happened *before* the leadership unveiled #AHCA?

— Matthew Continetti (@continetti) March 24, 2017

This is a good moment for conservatives.

AHCA lacked language suggesting HC should be more affordable, portable, market-based, and not forced. Good. #FullRepeal https://t.co/Li5AYrIYHn

— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) March 24, 2017

This now becomes a testing moment for President Trump. This is definitely a setback for what he had planned for his first 100 days, but what is better? Doing something, or doing something RIGHT? He has indicated that he just wants to move onto another subject. But the swamp that is Obamacare is still going to suck at us, and something will have to be done. Now, hopefully, the House will go forward with a straight repeal and have a less burdensome, easier to explain, less bloated replacement. And what President Trump says now will truly be an indicator of how he plans on governing. This is not like a business, where he can just go and fire someone. He has to work with the Congress to get anything done.

However, this is not, as the Democrats are gloating at the moment, a win for them. The stink that is Obamacare is still hanging around them, and they have no alternatives except to keep throwing more money at it.

President Trump is going to be speaking via a recorded statement about the AHCA bill being yanked. Welcome to being where the buck stops, sir.

UPDATE 5 PM EDT:
President Trump has given a quick press conference – in which he did take questions – about the AHCA bill.

Pres. Trump after health care bill is pulled: “We were very close…the best thing we can do politically speaking is let Obamacare explode." pic.twitter.com/ppEFrf9IQu

— ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2017

Pres. Trump: It "would be really good" if the Democrats "got together with us and get a real healthcare bill. I'd be totally open to it." pic.twitter.com/xvNPn8GVHC

— ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2017

Pres. Trump: “In the end I think it’s gonna be an experience that leads to an even better health care plan.” https://t.co/1CdA2eS2qw pic.twitter.com/5axGbP3i4j

— ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2017

Pres. Trump on Obamacare: "I'd love to see it do well but it can't…I want great health care for the people of this nation." pic.twitter.com/t5bR4BHwoK

— ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2017

In putting the blame on Democrats, President Trump is attempting to make them now own the collapse of Obamacare. That’s appreciated, but it won’t be helpful when Obamacare does collapse. The president announced his intent to move on to tax reform (where he is likely to find more unity), and the GOP now needs to pull their proverbial crap together and get a repeal and replace plan that we can live with.