Seven Republican senators who have expressed doubts about or opposition to the American Health Care Act met with senior White House staff on Monday ahead of a scheduled vote on the legislation in the House.
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Dean Heller of Nevada attended the meeting with Steve Bannon, President Trump’s chief strategist, and legislative affairs staff, a White House official told the Washington Examiner. Several of the senators’ offices confirmed the meeting. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, according to his office, was scheduled to attend but missed his flight to Washington.
The healthcare discussions come as a growing number of Senate Republicans signal their reservations about voting for the Obamacare reform legislation as written.
Lee and Cruz — who rode over to the White House together, according to a Senate source — joined the president on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago to explain their concerns about the AHCA.
Critics have dubbed the policy “Obamacare-lite” and argued it does not do enough to lower costs.
