It is not just the Freedom Caucus tails of the Republican Party that are holding out from the Obamacare reform vote, GOP centrists in the House are fleeing from their party’s first major legislative test of President Trump's reign.
As The Hill reports, centrist defections in the last 24 hours include Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), the co-chairman of the moderate Tuesday Group, which has roughly 50 members.
Reps. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.), David Young (R-Iowa), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), all centrists, have also announced their opposition to the bill.
Reps. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.), two other centrists, earlier announced their opposition.
That brings the number of centrist no votes to at least eight, though there could be more.
Republican leaders can afford 22 defections and still pass their legislation, which all House Democrats are expected to oppose.
Centrists warn that their constituents would lose coverage under the repeal bill, and some have even said that ObamaCare is better than the Republican bill. A group of centrists met with leadership in Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) office Wednesday night to discuss where they are on the legislation and their concerns.
“Everybody’s frustrated, but some moved, some stayed the same, and some got more equivocal,” said a GOP lawmaker who attended the meeting.
Finally, The Hill points out that deep cuts to Medicaid in the GOP bill, and the end of ObamaCare’s expansion of the program, are also major sources of centrist objections.
“The overriding concern I have is the Medicaid expansion being significantly altered,” Smith, whose home state of New Jersey accepted the expansion, told the Asbury Park Press. “It affects so many of our disabled individuals and families, and the working poor.”
Many centrists remain undecided, including electorally vulnerable members like Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.).
The center is not holding as RINOs emerge everywhere when the vote actually means something.
Ironically the Freedom Caucus seems to be coming around...
Lengthy standing ovation from the Freedom Caucus when @POTUS walked into the Cabinet Room just now. Big momentum toward #RepealAndReplace. pic.twitter.com/N1FLGAVFMN
— Cliff Sims (@CSims45) March 23, 2017