WASHINGTON (AP) — A pair of moderate Republicans who’d been holdouts against the GOP health care bill said Wednesday they were now backing the high-profile legislation after winning President Donald Trump’s support for their proposal aimed at reviving the languishing measure.
Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Billy Long, R-Mo., were among four House members who met with Trump at the White House as the administration and House leaders labored to prevent another collapse of one of the party’s top priorities.
The lawmakers said they believed a House vote could occur Thursday. Upton said he believed the long-stalled measure was likely to pass, though it was unclear initially exactly how many votes the new revision would win over.
For weeks, House leaders have lacked the votes for their drive to repeal much of President Barack Obama’s health care law, especially among moderate Republicans. Some have said they were within single digits of getting the 216 votes needed to prevail.
“Today we’re here announcing that with this addition that we brought to the president, and sold him on in over an hour meeting in here with