House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Mo Brooks said Thursday he was still against the American Health Care Act — "a massive Republican welfare plan" — even after meeting with such heavy hitters as House Speaker Paul Ryan, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
"We have to lower the cost of premiums — and this legislation as it currently exists does not do that," the Alabama Republican told Kate Bolduan on CNN after meeting with the group.
"This is the largest Republican welfare program in the history of the Republican Party," he said. "And we're being asked to vote for it? Ultimately, that undermines the work ethic."
House GOP leaders postponed a vote on the healthcare plan, amid opposition from the Freedom Caucus and moderate GOP members — and despite intense lobbying by President Donald Trump.
A vote was expected to be scheduled for Friday morning.
"The intensity of the discussion that we just had was, 'How are we going to do what needs to be done to lower the cost of premiums, not increase them?'" Brooks told Bolduan. "Increasing them is the exact opposite direction for a lot of struggling American families, who are trying to make ends meet."
He renewed his call for throwing out AHCA and replacing it with the bill to repeal Obamacare that House and Senate Republicans approved two years ago and was vetoed by former President Barack Obama.
"Donald Trump would sign it," he said. "Once you pass the repeal, then all of a sudden, all those Democratic votes could become active participants in whatever we're going to do to improve healthcare in the United States of America — hopefully, at lower cost to American citizens."