Though there have been many other scandals, bills, and policy proposals to distract from the Republicans’ healthcare bill, it appears that key Republican congresspeople have not forgotten their opposition. Showing the first major sign of a split in the GOP since Trump too office, as many as 17 House Republicans have indicated that they would likely vote against the AHCA as it currently stands.
The majority of these opposers in the GOP come from the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group that believes as a whole that the AHCA doesn’t go far enough in repealing elements of Obamacare. Several of these members voted against the bill in an earlier vote, but it still was allowed to pass.
Some wondered if, when the time comes, the entire Freedom Caucus – approximately 40 members – might plan to vote against it as a whole. If they were successful, along with Democrat votes, the bill would be killed on the House floor.
The list of the 17 House Republicans currently opposed to the AHCA:
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(via @NBCFirstRead) pic.twitter.com/cfrWMpIQJF
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) March 21, 2017
Some are concerned that this split in party unity, coupled with Trump’s plummeting favorable rating nationwide, might be setting the stage for a real party breakdown. Until now, Trump could depend on his party backing him – or at least remaining silent – whenever he did or said something out of line. Now that it has become possibly politically disadvantageous to do so, we may soon see more Republicans publicly opposing their POTUS.
