Trump rekindled the long-runningpolitical conflict over health care last week when he ordered hisJustice Department to shift its position on a Texas lawsuit seekingto invalidate parts of the Affordable Care Act.

President Donald Trump said Republicans would wait until afterthe 2020 election to hold a vote on a replacement for Obamacare,abruptly halting a push he began just last week and guaranteeingthat the issue will take center stage in his re-electioncampaign.

He made the shift in a series of Twitter posts late Mondaynight, saying that the “Vote will be taken right after the Electionwhen Republicans hold the Senate & win back the House.”

The posting ended a week-long scramble by GOP lawmakers to comeup with an Obamacare alternative after the administrationunexpectedly changed its position in a lawsuit by arguing thatObamacare should be entirely struck down. Trump's JusticeDepartment had previously said that it should be only partlyoverturned.

Related: The dismantling of the ACA: An (updated)timeline

A final court ruling in that case is likely to come before June2020. If Trump wins in court, there could be swift and widespreadchaos and uncertainty in American health care — at least until analternative system is put in place — as the array of changes toindustry regulations, subsidies for low-income individuals anddelivery system reforms would be undone.

“Everybody agrees that ObamaCare doesn't work,” the presidentsaid in three tweets Monday night. “The Republicans are developinga really great HealthCare Plan with far lower premiums (cost) &deductibles than ObamaCare. In other words it will be far lessexpensive & much more usable than ObamaCare. Vote will be takenright after the Election when Republicans hold the Senate & winback the House.

“It will be truly great HealthCare that will work for America.Also, Republicans will always support Pre-Existing Conditions.”

Trump rekindled the long-running political conflict over healthcare last week when he ordered his Justice Department to shift itsposition on a Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate parts of theAffordable Care Act, agreeing with U.S. District Judge ReedO'Connor's ruling that the law itself is unconstitutional andshould be scrapped entirely.

The president then urged Senate Republicans to come up with a“spectacular” health-care proposal to replace the Affordable CareAct, which was enacted under the Obama administration.

“We are going to be the Republicans, the party of great healthcare,” Trump told reporters last week. “The Democrats, they let youdown. They came up with Obamacare and it is terrible.”

Most congressional Republicans, however, are in no mood toreturn to the battlefield. Although they had fiercely opposed thelaw since 2010, it gradually became more popular with voters andwas considered a chief factor in last November's Democraticvictories that cost the GOP control of the House ofRepresentatives.

In the House elections, health care ranked as the top issue forvoters. Those voters preferred Democratic candidates by a strikingmargin of 75 percent to 23 percent, according to exit pollspublished by CNN. Democrats won 40 seats and captured the majorityafter eight years.

Republicans, on the other hand, have been eager to run against“Medicare for all,” a favorite proposal of progressive Democratsthat Trump referred to in his tweets, and equally eager to avoidthe Obamacare debate after the trouble it caused them lastfall.

“Dear GOP: When Democrats are setting themselves ablaze byadvocating for the destruction of American health care, try toresist the temptation of asking them to pass the kerosene,” tweetedJosh Holmes, a former chief of staff to Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell.

The White House House had no immediate comment late Mondaynight.

— With assistance by Alyza Sebenius

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• Brokers and the ACA ruling: Keep calm and carryon

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