Top House GOPer: Repeal Bill ‘Has Not Been Sold Properly’ To Voters

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 3: Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, leaves the House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
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Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), the chair of the House Rules Committee, on Wednesday morning said that issues in uniting the entire Republican caucus to behind the bill to repeal Obamacare stem from Republicans’ failure to fully sell the legislation to voters.

Sessions made the comments on CNN when Chris Cuomo argued that President Donald Trump sometimes saying “things that aren’t true” and Trump’s unfamiliarity with policy is a “tough combo” as Republican leaders try to pitch the legislation to rank and file members of the House.

“It is a tough combo. And that’s why we are where we are today. It could be this bill runs into problems as we get on the floor. But I think that people actually will realize this is the first part of the process. Not the end of it,” Sessions said in response.

He then pivoted to talking about voters.

“But members also are having problems with people back home, and that’s the problem. It’s the people back home who are being very vocal, who are in a lot of these conservative groups that do not understand the bill because it has not been sold properly to them. That’s the real problem. Not the President. Not whether they do or don’t want to vote,” Sessions said. “The people back home are not sold on what we’re doing yet, and that’s partially my fault also. I’ve tried to take the time to explain to the American people why we’re doing this, but we recognize it’s back home voter, not Washington, D.C. voter.”

“It’s a matter of giving confidence of the American people. I will confess, at the very top there’s a lack of understanding of how to sell this bill,” the congressman later added.

Despite his acknowledgement that voters do not support the legislation, Sessions said that Republicans will definitely bring the bill to the House floor for a vote on Thursday.

“Thursday is definitely the day,” he said.

Sessions described the legislation as a “compromise” bill and admitted that it was not his ideal plan. He also said that Republican leaders will continue to work on the legislation.

“Just because it’s not what I want doesn’t mean that it’s not two thirds of a good bill that has then become a compromise material that we’re going to have to work on. So I believe we can pass it,” he said. “Is it better than what we have today? Absolutely. Will it save the American health care system? Yes. Is it going to be something we’ll have to work with for quite some time? Yes also.”

Sessions emphasized that the vote on Thursday will not be the final vote for House members on the bill. After the Senate votes on the bill, the two chambers will have to agree on a final version.

“The bottom line is this is the first vote,” he said. “This is what is not being sold really, I don’t think, by enough people, that this is the first vote to continue the process. The Senate will then have their chance, and then we can go to conference and make a final determination. This is not the last vote.”

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