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Showing Original Post only (View all)Top House GOPer: Repeal Bill 'Has Not Been Sold Properly' To Voters [View all]
Source: Talking Points Memo
By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published MARCH 22, 2017, 8:47 AM EDT
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), the chair of the House Rules Committee, on Wednesday morning said that issues in uniting the entire Republican caucus to behind the bill to repeal Obamacare stem from Republicans' failure to fully sell the legislation to voters.
Sessions made the comments on CNN when Chris Cuomo argued that President Donald Trump sometimes saying "things that aren't true" and Trump's unfamiliarity with policy is a "tough combo" as Republican leaders try to pitch the legislation to rank and file members of the House.
"It is a tough combo. And that's why we are where we are today. It could be this bill runs into problems as we get on the floor. But I think that people actually will realize this is the first part of the process. Not the end of it," Sessions said in response.
He then pivoted to talking about voters. "But members also are having problems with people back home, and that's the problem. It's the people back home who are being very vocal, who are in a lot of these conservative groups that do not understand the bill because it has not been sold properly to them. That's the real problem. Not the President. Not whether they do or don't want to vote," Sessions said. "The people back home are not sold on what we're doing yet, and that's partially my fault also. Ive tried to take the time to explain to the American people why we're doing this, but we recognize it's back home voter, not Washington, D.C. voter."
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/pete-sessions-repeal-bill-not-sold-properly
GOP Sen. Lee: House Leaders 'Dont Have The Votes' To Pass Repeal Bill
By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published MARCH 22, 2017, 7:04 AM EDT
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who opposes the bill pushed by House Republican leaders to repeal and replace Obamacare, on Tuesday evening said that the legislation will not pass in the House.
"I think they should cancel the vote because they dont have the votes," Lee told Fox News.
House Republican leaders have said the bill will come up for a vote on the House floor on Thursday. But some conservatives in the House are still opposed to the bill, leaving it unclear whether House leaders actually have enough votes to pass the bill.
Lee told Fox News that Republicans should not unite behind the bill currently working its way through the House. "I dont think this bill was what we promised. What we promised was, what weve been promising for seven years, is that if Republicans were given the chance to govern, we would repeal Obamacare root and branch. Thats not what this bill does, and thats what we need to do. And thats why Im holding out for a vote that actually fulfills that promise," he said.
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