Mulvaney: House May Vote On Health Care ‘As Early As Saturday’

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney was bullish on the chances of Republicans’ health care bill Wednesday, saying he expected a House vote on the bill as early as Saturday.

In an interview with “Fox and Friends,” Mulvaney said a reported amendment from Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), which would increase funding individuals with pre-existing conditions, could swing moderate Republican votes.

“What I heard this morning driving into work was that Mr. Upton will be offering an amendment, I think today, that will tweak the funding in such a fashion that may bring the moderates over,” he said. “So you may be seeing a breakthrough this morning on the health care bill on the Hill and you may see a vote, I don’t know, as early as Saturday.

Upton announced Tuesday that he could not support the Obamacare repeal effort if the replacement bill stripped Obamacare’s pricing protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. President Donald Trump will meet with Upton and Rep. Billy Long (R-MO), another prominent “no” vote, on Wednesday, Long told CNN.

Asked if House Republicans had the votes to pass the bill, Mulvaney said: “That’s a really good question.”

“I think it’s really, really close,” he continued. “I think, if hard pressed, if I were the Speaker of the House — and I’m not, and by the way I’m thankful I’m not, it’s a miserable job — I would probably go to the floor today because it is just that close.”

“You would go to the floor for a vote?” Brian Kilmeade interjected.

“Oh yeah, yeah,” Mulvaney said.

He echoed that sentiment in an interview Wednesday morning with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.

“We’re going to do what we do, which is try and fix the country,” he said.