Donald Trump’s desperate bid to get any legislative accomplishment before his first 100 days are up was dealt a crushing blow as his new attempt at an Obamacare repeal bill is already being opposed by 21 House Republicans.
Trump can only afford to lose 22 Republican votes, but he has 21 Republicans against his bill, and 56 more are undecided, according to a whip count done by The Hill.
Trump would have to get the support of all 56 undecided Republicans to pass the bill. The odds of this happening are zero. The rebellion that will result in even more humiliation for the president is coming from centrist Republicans who can’t support the new legislation’s move to the far that that took away minimum coverage requirements, and allowed insurance companies to charge people who have preexisting conditions higher premiums.
The centrist Republicans understand that if they support this legislation, they can kiss their jobs goodbye. President Trump has managed to do the impossible. He cut a deal on health care that is even less popular than the initial Trumpcare bill that had a 17% approval rating.
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We now know the reason why Speaker of the House Paul Ryan wouldn’t commit to holding a vote in the House on Son of Trumpcare. Ryan doesn’t have the votes to pass it, and if he keeps waiting until he has the votes, a health care bill may never be voted on, because Republicans are hopelessly and impossibly divided on health care.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
