While one can debate if last week’s failed attempt by Trump to pass the GOP healthcare vote before the expiration of his 100 days in office counts as attempt #2 by the administration to repeal Obamacare, the Republicans are now back to square one, because based on the latest whip count by The Hill, the GOP again appears to lack sufficient votes to pass its Healthcare bill in the House, despite earlier reports from GOP leaders and the White House that it might be approved by the lower chamber this week.
The Hill’s most recent whip list reveals 22 Republicans – mostly moderates – who oppose the bill, the maximum number of GOP defections that can be afforded, meaning the GOP is just one vote away from another failure.
The latest Republican to announce his opposition is Rep. Billy Long (Mo.), a staunch conservative who often says he was ‘Tea Party before Tea Party was cool.’ He told The Hill he wouldn’t support the bill because of the impact it could have on people with preexisting conditions.
‘I have always stated that one of the few good things about ObamaCare is that people with pre-existing conditions would be covered,’ Long said in a statement to The Hill. ‘The MacArthur amendment strips away any guarantee that pre-existing conditions would be covered and affordable.’
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Daniel Webster of Florida and Chris Smith of New Jersey will also vote against the current bill, making their decisions public in succession Monday afternoon.
This post was published at Zero Hedge on May 1, 2017.
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