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Republicans Unsure Health Care Bill Can Pass Hours Before Vote
By ALICE OLLSTEIN, TIERNEY SNEED Published MARCH 24, 2017, 12:38 PM EDT
Things are still extremely shaky for the GOP bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which is slated for a late Friday afternoon vote in the House of Representatives. An unscheduled trip by Speaker Paul Ryan to the White House to meet with President Trump suggests that even leadership isn't sure it has the votes.
A last-minute package of amendments designed to appease both hardline conservatives and moderates has alienated some of both, and Republican leaders and the President are signaling uncertainty about the bill's passage. The morning also saw a major defection: House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ).
"Honestly, I'm not sure we've landed it," Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC), the chair of the 170-member Republican Study Committee, told reporters Friday morning. "I'm hopeful we can get there today but at this point I don't know how many we are short."
With hours to go before the vote, and with their own and their party's reputation on the line, Republicans were unsure who among them would back the legislation and who would oppose it.
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/ahca-uncertainty