just actually happening concurrently even this week. other pieces of legislation like purchase across state lines and association health care plans and the kind of things that actually make health care coverage more affordable for people so that they can get care. secretary price, all of the members of the freedom caucus have heard that argument over the last several days and still don t like the bill. my question again is what will you change about it to convince them to vote yes? nothing is changes at this point for this piece of legislation because what people have to appreciate again there is a larger plan. and that is what we have been trying to encourage folks to focus on and that is because the american people understand that our health care system from an exchange standpoint, from an aca, obamacare standpoint, is not working for the american people. and that is the real focus where we need to be putting our attention right now. and that is what we plan to fix and what the h
biggest lesson in all of your years in washington? he said, sometimes, when you win, you lose. and sometimes when you lose, you win. well, we go back to that day when we reported on the obamacare passage and the celebration by the democrats. it s been six years of political hell for them since then, losing over a thousand seats in the house. our a thousand seats across the nation. and this is actually, willie, if it goes down, this vote is the easiest vote ever for the house members to explain why they did it and trump to move on to tax reform and regulatory reform and the senate in the time they need to get real health care bills put together, so it wouldn t be the end of the world if they acted like grown-ups, but, as always, that is a huge if. what you just suggested is exactly what the president has said. he sent mick mulvaney over to capitol hill to tell the members of the freedom caucus either pass this today, friday,
move forward with passing it on the house floor. mark, congressman meadows is the subject in the freedom caucus, is the subject of a scathing editorial in today s the wall street journal, the freedom for from reality caucus. but, yesterday, in speaking with the member of the white house staff, ilves told that this bill that is going to be voted on today has now come down within the white house, within the oval office, to a kill paul ryan bill. because the president has never trusted paul ryan and now the vote that he wants that he is insisting upon today is to get this done with, to get the speakership weakened and get the bill done with. what have you heard? well, there is certainly divisions now, despite the public show of being teammates about what happened and what might happen next if the bill goes down and even if the bill passes. you know, john boehner was basically forced out of office by the freedom caucus. the the wall street journal editorial page and a lot of mode
from both sides, from the moderate side of the caucus and from the far ride of the caucus. still, this remains a group on the right in the freedom caucus that cannot get to yes. they cannot get to yes on most major pieces of legislation. they have a speaker that they don t fully trust and the writing was on the wall, i think, from day one this was not going to work. so the white house listened to paul ryan and said, okay, you know, we will go along with this and that is because of some of the pressure that existed for this bill. a lot of it was artificial and a lot of it from the outside groups who said, you know, you guys have to do this, you promised, the koch s and freedom foundation and heritage foundation putting pressure behind this. a swell of pressure. that said a lot of members felt if they promised voters one thing orve the last six or seven years they would repeal obamacare. fromhat i hearingnside the white house they are ready to move on to tax reform. when the president me
12:30 before this vote to have a lunch with steve mnuchin the first thing on their agenda i m told is tax reform and where they are going from here. maybe this bill passes sometime later this afternoon but it seems to me the ask from white house and paul ryan of the congressional republicans who are still no and need to get to yes is a bill that hasn t been scored by the cbo and hasn t had time to read through and process and wildly unpopular and by the way, die in the senate any way. so what is their incentive of getting behind this bill of goods no idea what is in it and the parts that are in it are deeply unmor with the american public? the freedom caucus is pushing so hard to get rid of preexisting conditions and children with their parents under 26 staying on insurance. that is widely popular among the political spectrum. they want to push to get that out. so it just seems like a lot of effort has been put into, you