GOP Rep: Health Bill Is ‘Probably A Little Short’ On Votes In The House

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 15: Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., speaks to reporters as he leaves the House Republican Conference meeting in the basement of the Capitol Tuesday morning, Oct. 15, 2013. House Republicans met to d... UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 15: Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., speaks to reporters as he leaves the House Republican Conference meeting in the basement of the Capitol Tuesday morning, Oct. 15, 2013. House Republicans met to discuss the Senate agreement to avert the debt limit crisis and end the government shutdown.(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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A Republican congressman expressed some dismay at the state of the White House’s preferred bill to replace Obamacare Thursday, saying his “head is going to explode” if one more senator tells him it’s “dead on arrival.”

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), who has said he will vote against the American Health Care Act, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he didn’t understand the rush by House leadership to push the bill to the Senate.

Dent also said of the impending House vote, though he didn’t have an exact whip count, “I suspect if you looked at the numbers now, they are probably a little short.” A House floor vote has still not been scheduled for the bill as of Thursday morning.

Host Joe Scarborough asked Dent if his Republican colleagues understood that, if the bill was rushed out of the House, it would be “torn to shreds by the Senate.”

“I sure hope” they understand that, Dent replied. “Because, you know, one of the other frustrations I’ve had, too, because I’ve been constantly hearing people over here say ‘the Senate’s going to take our bill as is and they’re going to consider it and likely pass it–’”

“No, they are not!” Scarborough interrupted.

“Of course not,” Dent agreed. “Of course not. We all know that. It’s ridiculous. If I have one more senator tell me this bill is dead on arrival, I think my head is going to explode.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Ryan wants to pass any bill, then blame the Senate. Will they hold a vote today? I guess so.

  2. As short as Donnie’s 10.5 digits? It’s doomed, then…

  3. Avatar for darcy darcy says:

    Yes indeed, an easy interpretation when a Republican says "they are probably a little short.” he means double digits.

  4. I think we are seeing the effort for “passage in the house” all out–within the constraints of GOP politics. Then we will see the same for the senate. Then the senate will tell the house to approve what it passed. And the house will. Then Trump will sign it.

    This is everything to Ryan and Trump needs a big big big news cycle splash that isn’t related to his Russian handlers.

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