UPDATE: Republicans Unable to Come to an Agreement; Health Care Vote Delayed

Abigail Robertson : Mar 23, 2017
CBN News

(Washington, DC)—[UPDATE: Thursday afternoon] In a setback for President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, Republicans failed to reach an agreement over their bill to replace Obamacare. The vote, which was expected to happen today, has been delayed.

[Earlier Thursday] [CBN News] House Republican leadership is fired up and ready to repeal Obamacare through the AHCA, but getting enough support to pass the measure has been far from easy. (Photo: House Speaker Ryan/via Fox Business)

Skeptical conservatives, like Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, voiced their concerns to CBN News soon after the bill was released.

"Look, we're united on repeal—Republicans are. But right now, some of the 'replacement' and some of the things they're putting in the bill in the leadership plan we don't think is consistent with what we told the voters we're going to do," he said.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus argues the bill won't do enough to lower health care costs. For them, it's a missed opportunity to replace Obamacare the right way.

"We didn't tell the voters we were going to repeal Obamacare, but we are going to keep some of the Obamacare taxes. I know I didn't tell them that," Jordan said.

Twenty-two Republican "no" votes would prevent the bill from passing. And a source told CBN News Wednesday on the eve of the scheduled House vote, at least 27 GOP members were still planning to vote "no" on the health care bill.

But the White House isn't backing down.

"There's plan A and plan A," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. "We're going to get this done."

The president held a closed door meeting with Republicans at the Capitol this week to try to win over conservatives who are still on the fence, and to lay out the political stakes if their attempt at overhauling the health care system fails.

He left the meeting hopeful he'll get the votes.

"Can you get the votes, Mr. President?" one reporter asked. "Think so," Trump replied.

Gorsuch Confirmation Hearings
Meanwhile in the Senate, Judge Neil Gorsuch's confirmation hearings on his nomination to the Supreme Court are moving forward smoothly, with witnesses now appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Photo: Getty images/via Politico.com)

Hannah Smith, two-time Supreme Court clerk and member of the Becket Fund legal teams that defended clients like Hobby Lobby and the Little Sisters of the Poor, is one of the people testifying before the committee.

"I think that Judge Gorsuch will be an excellent associate justice on the Supreme Court," Smith said.

"He's written 800 opinions, and of those opinions the majority of them by far—about 98 percent—have been unanimous opinions, which just shows what a consensus builder he is and how he has written opinions that all of his colleagues can join," she added.

Senate Republicans are certain Judge Gorsuch will be the next justice on the Supreme Court.

"Why anybody in this body would ever vote against you I'll never understand," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

After the hearings conclude, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether to send the nominee to the full Senate with a positive, negative, or neutral rating.