Is Reichert Softening His Stance on Trumpcare?

The King County Republican is now “undecided” on the bill.

Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, may be softening on his stance on the GOP health care bill now before Congress.

As recently as Tuesday, the New York Times’ vote tally had Reichert in the “support or lean yes” column of its whip count, reflecting statements he made defending the bill and the fact that he’d helped vote it out of the Ways and Means committee. Now, Reichert sits in the “undecided or unclear” column. A Reichert spokesperson told the Seattle Times that there are “likely more changes to be made” to the bill, and “until we know what those changes are, Congressman Reichert is undecided.”

House leadership today postponed a vote on the bill, a signal that they are unsure whether they have the votes to pass it.

Along with Reichert, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, has also moved columns on the vote tracker; meanwhile, Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Vancouver, has remained opposed to the bill because she’s concerned it goes too far in cutting Medicaid benefits. “I remain steadfast in my commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare with health care solutions that better serve all residents of Southwest Washington. But we can do better than the current House replacement plan, and I cannot support it in its current form,” she said in a statement.

That leaves Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a member of House Republican leadership, as the sole Washington congressperson who remains in the “support or lean yes” column.