Trump hits McConnell for Senate crash of Obama health repeal

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump rebuked his own party's Senate leader today for the collapse of the Republican push to repeal and replace the Obama health care law, using Twitter to demand of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, "Why not done?"

Trump was firing back at the Kentucky Republican for telling a home-state audience this week that the president had "not been in this line of work before" and had "excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process."

The exchange came less than two weeks after the Senate rejected repeated attempts by McConnell to muscle legislation through his chamber scuttling President Barack Obama's health care law.

The House approved its version in May, but its Senate failure – thanks to defecting GOP senators – marked the collapse of the party's attempt to deliver on vows to erase Obama's statute it's made since the law's 2010 enactment.

"Senator Mitch McConnell said I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so," Trump tweeted. "After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?"

Trump had repeatedly used Twitter to pressure McConnell to find the votes to approve the health care bill, even saying hours after its failure that GOP senators "look like fools." But his tweet today was an unusually personal reproach of the 33-year Senate veteran. McConnell is deeply respected by his GOP colleagues and Trump will need him to guide the next major Republican priority through the chamber – a tax system overhaul.

For his part, McConnell's statement was surprising because he is generally among the capital's most guarded politicians. When it comes to criticizing Trump, he's seldom gone further than saying he wishes he would stop tweeting, and usually refused to chime in when Trump made widely condemned comments during last year's presidential campaign.