President Donald Trump’s OMB director Mick Mulvaney told lawmakers Thursday night that the president had spent all the time, effort and political capital he could – it was up to congress to get the American Health Care Act done.
“‘Negotiations are over, we’d like to vote tomorrow and let’s get this done for the American people.’ That was it,” Rep. Duncan Hunter of California said as he left the meeting, summarizing Mulvaney’s message to lawmakers.
The president has spent time on the phone, made a video plea to voters, met with lawmakers of all leanings all to build consensus among republicans.
The president expects the vote to pass on Friday, but if it doesn’t, he’ll let republicans in congress answer to their constituents for having failed.
“We have to have a vote tomorrow,” Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., told reporters after a GOP meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, describing the message being conveyed by White House officials. “[Trump] expects it to pass. But he’s moving on if for some reason it didn’t.”
If the House of Representatives is unable to pass the bill tomorrow, Trump is likely to move right on to tax reform and the economy leaving House republicans to face voters who will realize that even with both chambers of congress and the White House, they couldn’t fulfill their promises.
Lawmakers have pointed at the votes where they passed bills to repeal Obamacare in full while President Obama was in office, but those claims fall on deaf ears as voters realize that was all political theater. Obama was never going to sign the repeal of his signature health care law and republicans did not have a veto-proof majority.
President Trump’s schedule for Friday shows that he’s moving on to tax reform and the economy as not a single meeting is scheduled on health care.
Republicans are now faced with voting on a real bill that could actually become law and it scares the crap out of them.
Source tells me the GOP moderates "are freaking out right now" on health care bill. "We'll get them. But they are nervous."
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) March 23, 2017
