Crunch vote on landmark healthcare reform Bill in US

The US House of Representatives is due to vote on a landmark bill to reform the nation’s healthcare system on Thursday in a vote that will be the first test of US president Donald Trump’s congressional support.

The 435-seat chamber is due to debate and vote on the American Health Care Act, the Bill put forward by Republicans earlier this month as a replacement for Obamacare, the signature healthcare policy introduced by President Obama seven years ago.

But late on Wednesday it appeared the Bill was facing severe opposition from a key group of conservative Republicans known as the Freedom Caucus, who said they were still not happy with the proposal.

Speaking following a meeting with vice-president Mike Pence on Wednesday morning – the latest attempt by the Trump administration to convince sceptical Republicans –the head of the Freedom Caucus, Mark Meadows, said the 25-strong group was not in a position to back the Bill. "Based on the resolve [of conservatives] and the lack of changes in the Bill, I would be very doubtful it would pass," he said.

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With Democrats expected to vote against the legislation, Republicans can afford to lose approximately 20 votes in the chamber and still pass the Bill.

Press secretary Sean Spicer said he was confident the Bill would go through, noting that some lawmakers who had previously been opposed, now supported the Bill. "The count keeps getting stronger for us," he said at the daily White House briefing. He also played down the possibility of delaying the vote, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Rallying

Mr Trump has been busy trying to rally Republicans, holding closed-door meetings with senior party members this week in

Congress

and at the White House. According to some reports, on Tuesday he told wavering Republicans who said they would not support the Bill: “I’m going to come after you, but I know I won’t have to, because I know you’ll vote yes.”

Mr Spicer also confirmed on Tuesday that the president was noting which Republicans were supporting Trump on the Bill. “We’re going to make sure to remember those who stood by us, and who stood by the word that they gave to their voters,” he said.

Mr Trump hosted a group of 18 Republicans in the White House on Wednesday, while vice-president Mike Pence met representatives of the Freedom Caucus.

Repealing and replacing Obamacare was one of President Trump’s key promises during the presidential election campaign, but some conservatives have dubbed the replacement package “Obamacare-lite”, opposed in particular to the system of tax credits contained within the proposal.

Other Republicans fear that many of their constituents may lose some of the protections afforded them under the Affordable Care Act, the official name for Obamacare.

Opportunity

House speaker

Paul Ryan

, the leading Republican behind the Bill, has called on lawmakers to back the package, describing it as a once-in-a-liftetime opportunity to replace Obamacare.

Meanwhile, as the fallout continued from FBI director James Comey's congressional testimony on Monday, during which he confirmed an investigation into links between the Trump campaign team and Russia, the US president was facing fresh questions about links between his circle and the Kremlin following reports that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was hired to promote Russian interests in the United States.

Mr Manafort denied the charges, pointing out that his work for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska predated his association with Mr Trump and had not involved promoting Russian interests.

Mr Manafort, a billionaire businessman, previously worked for pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. He resigned from Mr Trump’s team last August due to his involvement with Russia.