House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took a victory lap Friday, calling the GOP's decision to pull its healthcare bill a "victory for the American people."

"Today is a great day for our country," Pelosi said moments after Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanAt indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates Peterson faces fight of his career in deep-red Minnesota district MORE (R-Wis.) grimly acknowledged ObamaCare will stay in place "for the foreseeable future."

"What happened on the floor was a victory for the American people, for our seniors, for people with disabilities, for our children, for our veterans."

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Standing alongside fellow members of Democratic leadership, Pelosi added that the unity of House Democrats in opposition to the American Health Care Act played an important role in depriving Republicans the needed votes to pass it

President Trump and House GOP leaders struggled to amass enough Republican votes for the bill in the House. Conservatives said it didn’t go far enough to remove ObamaCare, while GOP centrists expressed concern for their constituents who had come to rely on ObamaCare.

After the White House issued an ultimatum Thursday night, Republicans had sought a Friday afternoon vote. But minutes before the scheduled vote, Republicans pulled the bill as it remained clear they did not have enough support.

Democratic leaders repeated the recent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimated that 24 million people would ultimately lose their health insurance under the GOP's plan over the next 10 years.

They also decried the Thursday night agreement to remove required minimum benefits for health plans, something conservatives hoped would lower premiums.