President Donald Trump is calling for a vote on the GOP health care plan this Friday and is threatening to keep the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in place if Congress fails to pass the Republican proposal, White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told House Republicans on Thursday.

AP/Jim Loscalzo - apimages.com

The House was expected to vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) Thursday, but the vote was delayed after negotiations failed to win over Republican critics of the bill. The conservative Freedom Caucus, whose three dozen members need to get behind the AHCA in order for it to pass, said "no deal" had been reached following a meeting with the president early Thursday morning.

It would only take 21 Republicans voting against the bill, alongside Democrats, for the AHCA to fail. Lawmakers supporting the bill attempted to win over conservative House members this week by amending the legislation, pledging to eliminate certain mandatory health benefits and impose work requirements in exchange Medicaid coverage, for example. That still hasn't persuaded them, at least so far.

Whether they have the votes or not, however, House Republican leaders agreed to take up the Friday vote, the Associated Press is reporting.