WATCH: GOP Reps confident Congress will send repeal bill to Trump

WATCH: GOP Reps confident Congress will send repeal bill to Trump

By The Hill Staff
06/30/17 01:05 PM EDT

Battle-tested House Republicans are voicing some optimism that Congress will soon send an ObamaCare repeal and replace bill to the President’s desk.

GOP Senators have been searching for a compromise on their healthcare bill following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) decision to postpone a vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) until after the July 4th recess.

Asked how likely it is that Republicans will agree on a repeal measure, freshman Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) paused before saying, “I can’t really calculate, people here have a multitude of reasons for doing what they do … there’s just disagreement over a tough issue.”

Several House Republicans who weathered the intra-party roadblocks before approving their version of repeal and replace - the American Health Care Act (AHCA) - expressed more confidence that the two chambers would find a solution.

Asked how confident he is that Congress will send the President a repeal and replace bill, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) replied: “I’m pretty confident on that."

Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins said he is “very confident” that the Senate will pass a bill “before August break” and Congress will agree on a final repeal and replace bill for President Trump to sign.

“I’m an optimistic realist, I believe we’re gonna get this done over next month,” Collins said in an interview with The Hill’s Molly K. Hooper.

Ohio Rep. Bob Latta (R) is eager to work on a Senate-backed measure.

“We’re prepared to be here as long as it takes. We want our friends in the Senate to do their work,” Latta said in an interview.

Brat said Senators are likely to get an earful from both sides in the GOP when they return home for the July 4th recess - that could prompt action in the upper chamber.

“It’s a tough one - we promised repeal for seven years, the Senate plan isn’t anywhere in the universe close to repeal,” Brat said. “They’re also going to be hearing: get it done, vote for it. Everybody just wants closure.”

Watch the video above to hear the lawmakers in their own words.

http://thehill.com/video/lawmaker-in...-bill-to-trump