Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) said Thursday that he would not support Republicans’ latest attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, scheduled for a vote Thursday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Reichert told the Seattle Times that he had spoken to President Trump about the repeal bill on the phone for about 10 minutes.
“I told the President I’d like to help, but I am not there yet,” Reichert said he told the President. The Times said he cited the lack of protections for people with pre-existing conditions, cuts to Medicaid and costs for middle-age people as his reasons for not supporting the bill.
After initially supporting Republicans’ first repeal effort, Reichert wouldn’t say after an amended version of the bill failed to receive a vote whether he would have voted it.
Politico’s Kyle Cheney posted a statement from Reichert explaining his vote Thursday. Reichert said “the current House bill falls short and does not provide the essential protections I need to support it.”
Rep. @davereichert explains why he's a NO on AHCA. pic.twitter.com/W4wTfmhji6
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) May 4, 2017
