House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), after meeting with President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans, sounded confident that leadership had gained enough support for legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare to pass when it comes up for a vote in the chamber on Thursday.
“President Trump was here to do what he does best, and that is to close the deal,” Ryan said.
He also echoed what he said was President Donald Trump’s message to Republicans in a meeting on Capitol Hill earlier that morning: that if House GOPers do not vote for the current legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, they risk losing their seats in 2018. Asked if he agreed with Trump’s comment, Ryan said, “absolutely.”
He said that Trump told members: “We all made a promise to the American people, and we need to keep our promises.”
Ryan said that if House members do keep their promise to repeal Obamacare, “the people will reward us.”
The speaker also insisted that House Republicans have enough votes to pass the bill, despite opposition to the legislation from leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. He said he disagreed with Freedom Caucus leaders who warn that they have enough votes to block the bill’s passage. Ryan indicated that more conservatives had come on board with changes to the legislation unveiled late Monday night.
Ryan said Trump’s in-person push for members to back the bill on Tuesday morning helped secure its future.
The President “knocked the ball out of the park,” he said.