House Republicans pointed fingers at each other today as sticking points leave both moderates and hardliners declining to say if they’ll ultimately vote for President Donald Trump’s major policy bill, even after the president came to Capitol Hill to rally support and urge unity in the conference.
Here’s what some Republicans are saying:
Rep. Don Bacon: “We have to defend against it, because they’re, in a sense, putting poison pills in that won’t pass. That’s what the president’s saying. So I hope they heed the president, I hope they listen to him,” the swing district Republican told CNN, referring to changes to the federal-state cost sharing system and other provisions to roll back Medicaid.
Rep. Ralph Norman: A hardliner who sits on the House Rules Committee, would not say if he’s going to vote to advance the bill, calling his support “a moving target” and explaining that he wants to see changes to a state and local tax deductions (SALT) cap paid for if they’re included.
Rep. Andy Ogles told CNN: “I would say that if the vote were held right now, it dies a painful death.”
Rep. Keith Self: Asked if he’s still a “no” on the bill, the hardliner said, “we haven’t made the corrections yet.”
Rep. Troy Nehls: The Trump ally warned that opposing the bill could come back to haunt GOP members. “Here’s an opportunity under a unified government, meaning control, Republican control, to get the tax cuts, to get so many great things, and if there’s one or two issues that you don’t agree with, well I’m going to tank the bill. That’s not healthy,” Nehls said, adding that the constituents of the hardliner representatives may raise questions about this approach.
Rep. Thomas Massie: The Kentucky Republican, whom Trump threatened with a primary earlier in the day over his defiance to the bill, said he wasn’t worried that his voters would listen to Trump and that he had a “fairly cordial” interaction with the president. Asked if Trump’s threat would force him to fall in line to support the bill, Massie laughed and said, “no.”
Rep. Mike Lawler: The New York Republican accused House Speaker Mike Johnson and another key Republican committee leader of trying a last-minute maneuver to force lawmakers supportive of a higher cap on state and local tax deductions to support the bill. “I’m not going to sacrifice my constituents and throw them under the bus in a bad faith negotiation,” Lawler said.
