While we are busy worrying about the Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch and the ongoing investigation into the Trump White House by the FBI, another major event is set to take place on Thursday which will serve as either a major victory or catastrophic loss to Trump and the Republican party.
Thursday, Congress is set to vote on the Obamacare replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, and though most Republicans are desperate to replace the current healthcare system, it appears that a significant number of Republican representatives are set to sink the bill.
In order to pass the bill through the House, there must be fewer than 22 Republicans who vote “no,” but as of today, there are at least 27 who are leaning toward voting against the healthcare bill that their party proposed.
According to NBC news, who has been carefully curating the ‘no’ votes, these are the Republican lawmakers who will likely vote against the AHCA on Thursday:
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC)
Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI)
Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA)
Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID)
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL)
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA)
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)
Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtin (R-FL)
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV)
Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Rep. John Katko (R-NY)
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)
Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC)
Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR)
Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA)
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL)
Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH)
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA)
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD)
While some of these votes were “no’s,” from the start, others switched their support for the bill after mounting pressure from their constituents, proving once again that calling your congressman really does work.
Though some are worried about the benefits the AHCA cuts, many more are outraged that the bill does not go far enough to repeal the previous healthcare plan.
Amid widespread dissent, it is possible that Republicans will repeal the bill before it is even put to a vote in order to avoid negative optics and the headlines that will surely follow. Still, it is refreshing to see that there is at least something the Republicans are doing that others in their party will say “no” to.
As a last-ditch effort, pro-AHCA Republicans have switched the narrative in Congress from “this bill is good,” to “this is a partisan vote.” The GOP is hoping that they can guilt Represenatives who oppose the bill to vote for it anyway on strictly partisan grounds.
As NBC notes, Republicans and Trump have a LOT to lose by losing this vote, and they will do whatever they can and must to push it through.
