WATCH: GOP Reps confident Congress will send repeal bill to Trump
Battle-tested House Republicans are voicing some optimism that Congress will soon send a legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare to President Trump’s desk.
GOP Senators have been searching for a compromise on their healthcare bill following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) decision to postpone a vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act until after the Fourth of July recess.
Asked how likely it is that Republicans will agree on a repeal measure, freshman Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) paused before saying, “I can’t really calculate, people here have a multitude of reasons for doing what they do … there’s just disagreement over a tough issue.”
Several House Republicans who weathered the intraparty roadblocks before approving their version of a healthcare reform bill — the American Health Care Act — expressed more confidence that the two chambers would find a solution.
Asked how confident he is that Congress will send Trump a healthcare bill, House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) replied: “I’m pretty confident on that.”
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) said he is “very confident” that the Senate will pass a bill “before August break” and Congress will agree on a final repeal and replace bill for Trump to sign.
“I’m an optimistic realist, I believe we’re gonna get this done over next month,” Collins said in an interview with The Hill’s Molly K. Hooper.
Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) is eager to work on a Senate-backed measure.
“We’re prepared to be here as long as it takes. We want our friends in the Senate to do their work,” Latta said in an interview.
Brat said Senators are likely to get an earful from both sides in the GOP when they return home for the July 4 recess, which could prompt action in the upper chamber.
“It’s a tough one — we promised repeal for seven years, [but] the Senate plan isn’t anywhere in the universe close to repeal,” Brat said. “They’re also going to be hearing: get it done, vote for it. Everybody just wants closure.”
Watch the video above to hear the lawmakers in their own words.
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