The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss White House strategy more candidly, said Trump aides are continuing to talk with Congress on all fronts and that pacing has more to do with “bandwidth” on the Hill than anything else.

“Clearly the longer it takes to pass one piece of legislation, the less time there is to pass other pieces of legislation,” the official said.

In the meantime, the official added, the executive branch is looking to make progress where it can without the assistance of Congress.

The official also disputed the notion that a defeat on health care would slow Trump’s momentum on other fronts. “Our plan is if you don’t succeed, try, try again — and improve,” the official said.

Republicans are taking up health-care legislation first in part because other parts of the president’s agenda hinge on elements of the tax code that would be altered by the law. Without those changes, tax cuts sought by Trump and House leaders become much harder to implement.