Cassidy Claims He Nearly Has the Votes

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) “sought to rally support for the last-ditch Obamacare repeal plan he co-authored, saying he believes he’s on the verge of winning the final votes needed to jam it through the Senate,” Politico reports.

“Cassidy claims that as many as 49 GOP senators have expressed support but doesn’t have a hard whip count with just days left to use a fast-track process allowing the bill to pass with a simply majority. And his search for the elusive 50 ‘aye’ votes got harder Thursday, when Sen. Rand Paul announced his opposition.”

Playbook: “This is a real thing, according to aides close to the process. In a private lunch of Republican senators on Thursday, they decided this was a bill worth pursuing. That doesn’t mean this will be quick. Leadership needs to whip the bill, submit it for a Congressional Budget Office score and have the parliamentarian check it for issues. It’s a heavy lift but it could get through.”