Freedom Caucus claims enough votes to kill Obamacare repeal

WASHINGTON — A day before the vote to repeal and replace Obamacare, conservatives say they have enough “no” votes to kill it and are calling on House leadership to postpone floor action and go back to the drawing board.

“It’s not going to pass as it’s standing right now,” Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, told reporters Wednesday. “They should, absolutely” push back Thursday’s scheduled vote.

“As they realize they don’t have the votes I think it will be very likely” that Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., will delay the vote, Labrador said.

“We believe that the best approach is to actually start over and do something that actually lowers premiums,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told reporters Wednesday after the hardline conservative caucus he leads met to discuss where they stand on the legislation.

Meadows spokesman Ben Williamson told USA TODAY that the House Freedom Caucus took a “whip count” during their meeting Wednesday and determined at least 25 people would vote against the bill. That’s more votes than Republicans can lose if they want to move the legislation through the House.

But later Wednesday Williamson had a new message. The Freedom Caucus was "hopeful" they could still get to a yes.

“Meadows is working with the White House round-the-clock to still get to a yes on this bill and we are hopeful moving forward," Williamson said. “He would still be a 'no' on the current version but working with the White House to get changes so that we can get to a 'yes.'”

Read more:

As the House vote looms, here's everything you need to know about the GOP health care bill

Two Marks, Meadows and Walker, leave mark on Obamacare repeal bill

The House health care battle: What's at stake?

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs on Wednesday said he's leaning so far "no" on the bill that he's "reclining."

The Freedom Caucus has been highly critical of the Republican legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare because they don’t feel it goes far enough. They have a variety of things they want to add to the bill, including a repeal of insurance regulations. Ryan and other Republican leaders have said the bill has to remain narrow to squeeze though the arcane rules of the Senate with no Democratic votes.

“We believe that the best approach is to actually start over and do something that actually lowers premiums,” Meadows said. “We believe that we need to postpone the vote and get it right.”

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also attended the meeting.

“I think they have the votes," Paul said.

"The stage that we’ve had so far is the pre-negotiation … now the real negotiation will begin,” he added  “But the House leadership has to acknowledge they don’t have the votes and bring the vote down.”

Conservatives are not the only ones balking at the Republican repeal bill. Several moderate Republicans have also said they will vote against it. "Simply put, this bill does not meet the standards of what was promised; it is not as good as or better than what we currently have," said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., on Wednesday. "Accordingly, I will vote no on this healthcare plan."

Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, said that while the Republican bill "is a very good start, it does not yet get it right and therefore I cannot support it in its current form."

Read more:

With conservatives in revolt on health care, moderates might be Trump's new best friends

Rules Committee to choreograph House vote to kill Obamacare

Two Democrats may miss House vote on GOP health care bill

Paul, Cruz and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee have criticized the current legislation and called for changes for them to be able to vote for it in the Senate. Republicans have a narrow majority in the Senate, 52-48, and they can lose just two votes for legislation to pass there.

Members of the Freedom Caucus met with the vice president and top White House aides Wednesday morning ahead of their own meeting on Capitol Hill as part of the administration’s outreach efforts to get the party united behind the bill.

“We had a great meeting with the vice president, they’re fully engaged. But I can say this at this particular point we need changes to underlying bill before we vote on it in the House,” Meadows said.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Wednesday "there is no Plan B" because the president expects the bill to pass. "We're gonna get this done."

Ryan has given no signals that he intends to move the vote.

“Doing nothing means the collapse occurs and good people get hurt. Doing nothing means skyrocketing premiums coming up in 2017 and 2018. Doing nothing means more insurance companies pull out and people have nothing," Ryan said on Fox News on Wednesday afternoon. "So we just believe we have a moral obligation and a duty now that we’re the governing party to step in front of that collapse — and, by the way, replace it with good reforms that work."

Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole is a "yes" on the bill, but he said House leadership should move forward regardless of the threats to sink the legislation.

“It’s a leadership call. My recommendation would be let’s go ahead, because I think people need to go on the board and let people know where they’re at. Not everybody has taken a firm commitment here one way or the other. There are still people that are wavering," Cole said. "And sooner or later you have to at least know what their inclination is so I think a vote is the easiest way to do that. Now if it doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world but it’s certainly a major setback.”

Other Republicans were less forthcoming in what they thought leadership should do.

“Paul has a tough enough job not listening to me,” New York Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., told reporters Wednesday. King said he is still undecided on the legislation but he has moved from a complete no.

"My lane is to get my job done — deliver a package that we think stands a great chance of passing,” said Rep. Pete Sessions, chairman of the House Rules Committee, which is voting on the legislation Wednesday.

When reporters asked Sessions whether the Freedom Caucus was making the job of getting the legislation passed more difficult, he didn't give a thing away: “These Freedom Caucus guys are awesome. They’ve been consistent in their language and their behavior and their requests and their discussions — consistent.”

Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen