The fate of President Trump’s health care reform plan hung in the balance Thursday afternoon as House Republicans still lacked enough votes to pass the evolving measure.
Frenzied last-minute wheeling and dealing was underway on Capitol Hill and at the White House as Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan struggled to cobble together the 215 votes needed to pass the bill.
The Freedom Caucus, whose conservative members comprise the bulk of GOP opponents, was set to meet with Trump at midday.
But the head of that group, Rep. Mark Meadows, (R-N.C.), warned that it would be a “Herculean task” to resolve their differences quickly.
And concessions to House conservatives that would further reduce Medicaid and other benefits appeared to be scaring off some moderates, who fear their constituents would punish them at the polls if they lose benefits they currently have.
The political websites The Hill and Axios both reported that the GOP did not have the votes it needed to reach the magic number, with the former reporting 28 holdouts and the latter 25.
The Associated Press said at least 28 Republicans said they opposed the bill — but the number was in constant flux amid the eleventh-hour lobbying. If 23 Republicans join united Democrats in voting no, the bill will fail.
Ryan was supposed to hold a press conference at 11:30, but pushed it back to 3:30 p.m., suggesting the that differences among members remained unresolved. He had scheduled the vote for Thursday, but it remained unclear when a vote would take place or whether it would be postponed.
Trump, meanwhile, yet again took to Twitter to urge his supporters to call their Congress members to vote for his signature issue.
“You were given many lies with #Obamacare! Go with our plan! Call your Rep & let them know you’re behind #AHCA ,” he wrote.
“We must #RepealANDReplace #Obamacare for the millions that are suffering. Tell your Rep you support #AHCA,” he added later.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) was the latest to declare her opposition.
Republicans admitted they needed to cut a deal to avoid an embarrassing setback after repeatedly voting to repeal Obamacare when they were in the minority in Congress, and for campaigning against it during the 2016 campaign.
“An agreement is needed from my party,” Rep. Pete Sessions ( R-Texas) said during a procedural debate on the House floor. He said the GOP “intends to bring forth an agreed-to bill that we will be able to show to the American people, and we will own it.”
Meanwhile, a new Quinnipiac University poll showed that voters disapproved by 56 to 17 percent of the GOP’s effort to replace Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
But Republicans supported the plan 41 to 24 percent
“Replacing Obamacare will come with a price for elected representatives who vote to scrap it, say many Americans, who clearly feel their health is in peril under the Republican alternative,” said pollster Tim Malloy.
Obama issued a statement in support of his own signature legislation.
“If Republicans are serious about lowering costs while expanding coverage to those who need it, and if they’re prepared to work with Democrats and objective evaluators in finding solutions that accomplish those goals — that’s something we all should welcome,” Obama said.
The stakes could hardly be higher for a party that gained monopoly control of Washington’s power centers, in part on promises to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something better.
Trump had vowed recently that “insurance for everyone” was his plan’s goal — but the Congressional Budget Office projected that 26 million Americans would lose coverage by 2026 under the current GOP plan.
Republicans are staring at the possibility of failure, which would be a crushing political loss for Trump and GOP leaders in Congress, and would throw prospects for other legislative achievements, including tax reform and infrastructure spending, into limbo.
With AP