The following statement regarding the American Health Care Act is by Sam Brooke, SPLC deputy legal director:

“The decision by Speaker Paul Ryan to pull the American Health Care Act and not offer it for a vote in the House of Representatives is a victory for the American people. The legislation would have stripped health insurance from more than 24 million people, particularly the working class. And it would have upended Medicaid – one of our nation’s most successful social welfare programs – as the wealthiest among us received tax breaks.

“Quite simply, the American Health Care Act’s prescription for America was to reward the rich for their wealth and blame the poor for their vulnerabilities and challenges. Thankfully, that approach failed today.”