Rep. Louie Gohmert: AHCA Was Built on a 'False Premise'

(Fox News/"Fox & Friends")

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 24 March 2017 10:08 AM EDT

President Donald Trump has never had to deal with people "who weren't 100 percent honest and knew what they were talking about when they helped him prepare a contract," and the American Health Care Act was built "on a false premise," Rep. Louie Gohmert insisted Friday while explaining why he does not plan to vote for the measure.

"It isn't going to work," the Texas lawmaker and member of the House Freedom Caucus told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "We're told prices will go up 75 percent or so, but maybe in the third year they may come down 10 percent.

"We're told we should be thrilled we'll give so much more power from the federal government to Health and Human Services under your bill, and they don't have an answer for, what about when it is a Democrat in charge and not a Republican?"

Also, said Gohmert, Trump was lied to and the bill was misrepresented to Congress.

"We were told for weeks now that we have to thread the needle because we can't know what the parliamentarian in the Senate will do unless we actually passed the bill," said Gohmert. "The parliamentarian doesn't even get to rule. It is Mike Pence or Mitch McConnell, whoever McConnell appoints."

Also, the bill survives the "Byrd Rule," said Gohmert, as it will affect the budget in a major way.

Under the Byrd Rule, named for late West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, senators can block a bill, during its reconciliation process, if it could significantly increase the federal deficit beyond a 10-year term or is otherwise determined as an "extraneous matter."

"Our people are hurting," said Gohmert. "It is just hard to believe that after all this time our answer is, more government in the short term . . . We are going to spend more federal money, but eventually it will be better.

"It is not what any of us promised we were going to do, and it is built on a false premises that the parliamentarian was not going to allow what we promised we would do."

Gohmert said he understands Trump's frustration, considering the circumstances, as the bill was "prepared on a false premise and he has never had to deal with that before."