White House officials and Republican aides worked to downplay expectations of an imminent vote on Obamacare reform legislation Thursday amid widespread speculation that a healthcare deal was in the offing.
While both the White House and GOP aides confirmed that healthcare negotiations have continued throughout the congressional recess, both sides stressed that a compromise bill may not be ready for a vote by next week, when lawmakers return from their two-week break.
"Congress needs to act quickly on a solution for the American people. Our administration is engaged in those conversations and we are making progress," a White House official told the Washington Examiner. "But there is not a set deadline to complete it."
A senior Republican aide told the Examiner that discussions about how to unite members behind an Obamacare reform bill had yielded "no legislative text."
And Trump himself expressed uncertainty that a new version of the healthcare bill would be ready by next week, although he predicted it could be ready "shortly thereafter."