Four days after House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the Republican replacement for Obamacare, the White House has signaled Ryan and House Republicans that it wants a vote on the American Health Care Act after all.
Several Republican lawmakers told Newsmax on Monday that meetings were held to eliminate portions of the AHCA that had led to both the conservative Freedom Caucus and moderate Tuesday Group in the House withdrawing their support from the measure and making its defeat inevitable.
As of Tuesday morning, House Republican leaders announced that the revised legislation would shortly be brought up to a vote and that Democratic celebrations over the defeat of the Obamacare replacement were, in Ryan's words, premature.
Discussion of going through with the vote began on Monday. Several lawmakers told Newsmax that there was reluctance to push it within their ranks because, under House rules, it would have to be done before the end of fiscal year 2017 (on June 30 of this year) to be included in the reconciliation process.
"We could bring up healthcare for a vote, but if you passed it, you could lose reconciliation for tax reform," said one Republican lawmaker who requested anonymity.
According to reports, House Republicans are going to gamble and force a vote sometime this week to repeal Obamacare.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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