By Kyle Balluck - 03-30-17 06:54 AM EDT
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in an interview to be broadcast early Thursday said he does not want to work with Democrats on healthcare legislation, breaking with President Trump's recent comments.
"I don't want that to happen," Ryan told Norah O'Donnell on "CBS This Morning."
"I want a patient-centered system," he added. "I don't want government running healthcare. The government shouldn't tell you what you must do with your life, with your healthcare. We should give people choices."
Ryan added GOP infighting may drive Trump to partner with Democrats over members of his own party.
"[If] the Republican Congress allows the perfect to be the enemy of the good, I worry we'll push the president into working with Democrats, he's been suggesting that as much," he said, adding merely retooling ObamaCare is "hardly a conservative thing."
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that Trump is sincere about working with Democrats on healthcare reform in the wake of last week's failure of a Republican effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
"Starting Friday afternoon through late yesterday, [Trump] has received a number of calls, as well as other members of the senior staff that have been working on healthcare, from members of both sides saying that they would like to work together, offer up ideas and have suggestions about how to come to a resolution on this and get a House vote on this," he told reporters.
Trump later Monday predicted that Democrats would ultimately ally with Republicans on healthcare once ObamaCare starts failing.
The Democrats will make a deal with me on healthcare as soon as ObamaCare folds - not long. Do not worry, we are in very good shape!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2017
Republicans abandoned their effort to repeal ObamaCare in a shocking defeat last Friday, pulling legislation before a vote on the House floor.
Conservative House Freedom Caucus members fiercely opposed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), demanding a number of changes intended to lower healthcare premium costs.
--Mark Hensch contributed to this report, which was updated at 7:29 a.m.
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