Lawmakers on Sunday signaled that the fight for healthcare reform isn't over, despite President Trump being dealt a major defeat when the GOP declined to vote on a healthcare bill that faced failure in the House.

The chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus — an instrumental group in dooming in the bill — promised Sunday that the failure of the Republican attempt to repeal and replace ObamaCare was not the end of the healthcare debate.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) was echoed by both Republican and Democratic senators who took to the Sunday political shows to say healthcare is not an issue of the past.

The sentiment come after President Trump this weekend signaled he would move on to other legislative priorities — such as tax reform — and put healthcare reform aside in the aftermath of the chaotic week.

Meadows emphasized that factions of the Republican Party need to find consensus to implement successful healthcare reform moving forward.

ADVERTISEMENT

"This is not the end of the debate," he said on ABC's "This Week."

"We may be in overtime, but I can tell you at the very end of the day, the most valuable player will be President Trump on this, because he will deliver. He's committed to the American people."

The president last week met with members of the Freedom Caucus in his push to whip up votes for the GOP healthcare plan. But House conservatives wanted the bill to go further in taking apart ObamaCare and were hoping for specific policy concessions from Trump.

Before the bill was pulled, many members of the conservative bloc indicated they wouldn't vote for it. With no Democrats supporting the measure, the GOP could only afford to lose a handful of members before the outcome was in peril.

On Sunday morning, the president tweeted pointedly that the House Freedom Caucus, along with the Club for Growth and Heritage Action for America, "saved" Planned Parenthood and ObamaCare, implying that their refusal to vote had helped perpetuate the healthcare policy they promised to dismantle.

Meadows said there had been no one more "self-critiquing" than himself.

"I can tell you, as I've looked at all of this, I've said could I have spent a little bit more time, should I have spent more time with the Tuesday Group, more time with Democrats to find some consensus," he said, referring to the moderate group of GOP House Republicans and adding that conservatives and moderates need to come together to find a shared solution.

During an interview on NBC's "Meet The Press," Lee argued the GOP healthcare proposal was not successful because it did not bring down the cost of healthcare for Americans.

“This bill didn’t pass because it didn’t deal with the most fundamental flaw in ObamaCare,” Lee said, referencing costs.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus also said the fight is not over.

“Everything’s on the table,” Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We’ll give these guys another chance.” The president is not “closing the door on anything” on healthcare, Priebus said. He added that the administration would be open to proposals from the other side of the aisle, noting, "Democrats can come to the table as well." “And it would be nice to get some Democrats on board. But you’re right, at the end of the day, I think it’s time for the party to start governing,” Priebus said. He added: “We can’t be chasing the perfect all the time. Sometimes you have to take the good, and put it in your pocket and take the win."