Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The House Freedom Caucus said Friday it filed a petition allowing legislators to vote on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
The action, known as a "discharge petition," calls for consent from a simple majority of 218 House lawmakers to remove the repeal bill from committee and force a floor vote. The "clean repeal" will likely get the approval of the White House, which has called on Congress not to abandon attempts to repeal the act known as Obamacare, despite Congress' inability to approve a replacement, The Hill reported.
The conservative Republican House caucus seeks a repeal-only measure. The Senate recently voted against a repeal-only bill as an amendment.
"It's critical that we keep our promise to the American people and repeal Obamacare and replace it with a policy that works for American families. We cannot drag this process out any longer. This bill, with a two-year delay on implementation of repeal, will force Congress to come together on a replacement bill. President Trump is eager to sign repeal and replace, it's time we get to work and send both to his desk," Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. and Freedom Caucus chairman, said in a statement on Friday.
The procedural move is meant to go around House leadership and bring the measure to a vote, in this case forcing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to bring up the issue on the House floor.
