U.s. Rep John Shimkus
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. leaves the White House in Washington Friday after meeting with President Donald Trump.
Evan Vucci/AP

Republicans Kill Health Care Vote As GOP Members Defect

House Republicans have scrapped a vote on their health care replacement plan after defections from both the right and center that made it clear the bill would not pass. NPR's Susan Davis reports that GOP leadership says the Friday afternoon vote is now scrapped after House Speaker Paul Ryan made a last-minute trip to the White House to tell President Trump that the votes weren't there to pass their replacement plan, the American Health Care Act. Trump agreed with Ryan's plan to halt the vote.

U of I Law Professor Francis Boyle addresses the Urbana City Council on December 19, 2016, in support of the Sanctuary City measure that leaders passed on a 5-1 vote.
Jeff Bossert/Illinois Public Media

What It Means To Be A Sanctuary City In Urbana

On Tuesday, the Trump Administration released details on new policies to ramp up federal immigration detentions and deportations. Ahead of the move, Urbana joined hundreds of other cities in declaring itself a sanctuary city – meaning they’ll offer some protections to people in the country illegally. That could cost the city roughly $1 million in federal funds, based on recent executive orders from the president.

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act, who are also opponents of Colorado's GOP-led plan to undo Colorado's state-run insurance exchange, gather for a rally on the state Capitol steps in Denver, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
Brennan Linsley/Associated Press

The Future Of The Nation’s Health Care Law

Republican leaders in Congress have started the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act. But an advocate in Champaign says she is glad to see they're slowing down the process of repeal and replace. GOP Congressman John Shimkus of Collinsville expects finding that replacement, made up of a "multitude of bills", will take most of 2017.

Republican Congressman John Shimkus of Illinois' 15th District during a 2013 interview with WILL
(Jeff Bossert/WILL)

Shimkus On The Future of Trade In the Trump Administration

The 15th District Republican Congressman from Collinsville admits this is one area where he differs from President Donald Trump. Shimkus says he's always been for open markets and more trade, but cites the president's rejection of the 12-country Trans Pacific Partnership, or TPP.  He says those in organized labor, like steelworkers, look forward to better deals, but things are unclear at the moment. "Where there is uncertainty, there is risk," he said.

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