But President Trump said at a meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday afternoon that he would work with them to secure passage of their plan.
According to several attendees, Trump made clear that he wants the House bill to be approved and land on his desk largely intact. He pledged to become personally involved in persuading skeptical lawmakers and warned that failing to pass the legislation would result in trouble at the ballot box for Republicans who pledged to repeal and replace Obamacare.
“The president said very clearly . . . this is the bill he wants on his desk, and he wants to get this done quickly,” said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.), the House GOP chief deputy whip, who attended the meeting. “The president is paying attention to what people are saying and doing, where they’re saying it and doing it. He is highly aware and has a highly attuned ear to what is happening in the press and has a real understanding of the challenges in order to get this bill on his desk.”
As if to prove it, Trump targeted Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — who has emerged as the bill’s chief skeptic — with a tweet Tuesday evening: “I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!”
The margin of error is slim for House and Senate GOP leaders — in the House, Ryan can afford to lose only 21 GOP lawmakers. In the Senate — which is using an unusual parliamentary procedure that requires only a simple majority for legislation to be approved — Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) must persuade all but two Republicans to support the plan. Republicans have 52 seats in the Senate, and no Democrats are expected to back the overhaul in either chamber.
