Posted on 03/23/2017 12:40:35 PM PDT by NobleFree
Update 3:29 p.m.: House leaders have canceled a planned Thursday night vote on a Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, according to a GOP source. There was no immediate word when the vote might happen. This story will be updated.
Original story: President Donald Trump and conservative House Freedom Caucus members failed to strike a deal on the GOP Obamacare replacement Thursday, endangering the prospects of passage and all but assuring any immediate vote on the measure would fail.
Negotiations between Trump and the arch-conservatives opponents of the bill reached at least a temporary standstill after Freedom Caucus members were told recent concessions to the far-right were a final offer. The group rejected that, wanting more.
Trump's inability to clinch an agreement means that Speaker Paul Ryan does not likely have the votes needed to pass the measure. The Wisconsin Republican can afford to lose only 22 votes on the floor. The House Freedom Caucus, however, has three dozen members, who have vowed to block the bill unless they get what they want. Roughly a dozen centrist Republicans also have come out against the bill.
A senior administration official in the room for the meeting at the White House said most members left the meeting as "no's" but suggest some flipped to "yes." While Trump did not go around and ask people how they would vote, it became immediately clear GOP leaders did not appear to win over enough to put the measure over the top.
"We're down right now," the official said.
A vote is expected Thursday night. It was not immediately clear whether Ryan would pull the bill or postpone a vote and continue to scramble for votes if it remains short of passage.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said “nothing leads me to believe that” the vote will be put off. He expressed optimism after Trump's meeting with the Freedom Caucus that Republicans will ultimately round up the votes.
"We walked out with more members in support of the American Health Care Act today than we started the day with,” Spicer said. “And I continue to see that number climb hour by hour. And I anticipate that we will get there.”
A spokesman for Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) tweeted after the White House gathering that there's "no deal yet, but negotiations haven't stopped — Rep. Meadows remains hopeful and will continue working."
However, a senior administration official involved in discussions with the group said the "House Freedom Caucus is freeing members to vote their conscience."
There were daunting obstacles to a deal heading into the White House meeting. A number of Freedom Caucus members had suggested Trump’s latest concession — repealing Obamacare's mandate that insurance plans provide a minimum level of "essential" benefits — wasn't enough. The group wants a complete repeal of all Affordable Care Act regulations — including popular provisions Trump promised he would maintain.
The conservatives' target list encompasses a prohibition against discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and a requirement that adults up to age 26 can remain on their parents’ health insurance.
“Repealing [essential health benefits], w/out making other substantial changes, would make the bill worse, not better,” tweeted Freedom Caucus member Justin Amash (R-Mich.). “It would hurt the sickest people on exchanges.”
The Freedom Caucus has been a constant thorn in the side of House GOP leadership, sinking bills its members believe were too accommodating to Democrats. The group was expected to fall in line behind Trump after he won. Its refusal to do so on the health care bill has moved the legislation toward the farright.
Now, Freedom Caucus members are threatening to trip up not John Boehner or Ryan, but a Republican commander-in-chief who remains highly popular in their districts.
Many House Republicans are furious at the Freedom Caucus, saying the group keeps moving the goal posts, and they argue that the group really just wants to sink the health care bill altogether.
“The president is good at negotiating, but he has to have someone who wants to get to yes,” Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), an ardent Trump supporter, told POLITICO. “I was never able to sell a car or a truck to someone who didn’t want a car or a truck. It just doesn’t work. And that’s where we are right now. I don’t think they’re really interested in getting to an ‘end.’”
He then added: “Maybe the ‘end’ is: making sure it doesn’t pass.”
Group insiders contend they haven’t changed their demands at all. They say they’ve always insisted that all Obamacare regulations be nixed.
The Freedom Caucus risks overplaying its hand if it continues to hold out support for the bill. Trump has made clear he wants to get health care passed and move on. He made clear that Wednesday's offer was final.
If Trump loses his patience with caucus members, they could find themselves in his crosshairs.
The meeting with Trump comes not 24 hours after the group huddled with Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s most senior advisers. In recent days, the group had been emphasizing that it needed a repeal of Obamacare's "essential health benefits" requirement — something GOP leaders for months have said would be “fatal” to the bill in the Senate because of the chamber’s arcane budget rules.
But Trump officials asked Ryan to reassess that diagnosis, and GOP leadership agreed to add the provision.
The odds of the entire group coming on board without a commitment to axing all Affordable Care Act regulations, however, look slim.
In other words...start with...no mandate!!
Libs on facebook are going nuts over this. They think this will sink us in 2018. Wrong again morons.
Looks like the Senate votes don’t matter after all, there are not even enough votes in the House for the Ryancare rearranging crap sandwich.
Hey guys, I have an idea.
Get out piece of paper and write “The Affordable Care Act in its entirety is hereby repealed.” Then vote on it.
Why don’t they just repeal the stupid individual mandate? Polls show a plurality supports that.
Yeah they are very stupid.
Won’t happen....get over it.
You can't fake the real fake.
Glad to hear the vote's off tonight. I'd rather have a GOOD law than a bait and switch publicity stunt.
Bet there are a lot more subsidized folks that don't want to be on government lists than we think.
8 LOOOOOOOOOONG years to put together a sensible bill and what do we get....a crap sandwich from that lying weasel Ryan!!!! He lied to the American people that they had a whole repeal bill for OVOMITcare with a good healthcare replacement..where the f is it? There has never been a bill because Ryan and McConnell thought Hitlery had the presidency in the bag....HE LIED!!!! The backstabbing Benedict Arnold Ryan LIED TO US!!!
You’ll know we have the right bill when not only are the liberals pissed (always are), but so are the insurance companies, pharma companies, and hospitals. Real competition and consumerism in a free market with lots of players is something they’d not prefer by my estimation. Many have their own little carved out territories where they act as monopolies. I’m not opposed to them making lots of money, I would just prefer it be under the pressure of real market forces.
Don’t be a Fool! So many have Willfully believe Trump was going to Repeal Obamacare. But they Payed No Attention!
Wake Up Trump is NOT being Played, He is part of the Players!
Trump is in on Big Government... It just needs to be in his Favor... He NEVER was going to REPEAL Obamacare! Remember when I ask well before Trump was elected and was still running for the GOP, What do you think He is going to do? I ask people to Document what they though he was going to do, what he stood for, Yet No One would record what Trump Stood for or what He was going to do. Its because He has been and always was ALL OVER the Place.
I Say Again the Federal Government HAS to be SLAYED! There is No Fixing it for the Beast is now in Total Control and it will not go away, thus it has to be removed!
Return to God, His Order and a Moral people or continue as Slaves to the Beast and Much Darker Days Ahead!
The Enemy is within and until we deal with that Enemy we will Never be able to Deal with the Enemy’s outside the Nation.
Know this:
Return to God, a Moral people and Christendom! Anything Else if for Not! When you see the reunification of Christians into the One True Faith the Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church the End to the Darkness will be Assured... Until then PRAY for All the Lost Souls!
God Bless
Alternately, President Trump could announce a blanket amnesty which exempts current and all future generations of US citizens from the provisions/mandates of Obamacare.
Precedent was established by The Won.
Always wondered why the Freedom Caucus snuggled up to Ryan and voted for him as Speaker of the House.
It would be far better to let Obamacare completely implode just in time for the 2018 election rather than pass a bill that further solidifies it. Then turn health care back over to the free market, where it was doing just fine.
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