Trumpcare: At least three Republicans didn't read bill that passed House by one extra vote

Congressman Mark Sanford says he 'attempted' to read the entire bill

Representative Mark Sanford says he did not read all of the American Health Care Act before voting for it (Davis Turner/Getty Images)

At least three House Republicans say they did not read the entire American Health Care Act (AHCA) before voting for it.

"I will fully admit, Wolf, I did not,” Representative Mark Sanford told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer when asked if he had read the whole bill. “But I can also assure you my staff did.”

The bill – Republicans’ latest plan to repeal and replace Obamacare – was finalised at 8pm the night before a House of Representatives vote. It was not posted publicly until that morning.

The bill passed the House by a razor-thin margin on Thursday.

The compressed timeline lead Democrats to accuse their counterparts of “forcing a vote” on a “backroom deal.” Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had accused Democrats of the same thing during the Obamacare vote in 2009, saying, “If you rush this thing through before anyone even knows what it is, that’s not good democracy.”

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise said that representatives had had “more than enough time” to read the bill.

Republican Representative Mark Sanford, however, told CNN’s Alysyn Camerota that he had only “turned through every page” of the legislation.

“As to whether or not I got through some of the details in some of the pages, no,” he said. “But yes, I attempted to read the entire bill.”

The congressman also seemed unclear on the specifics of the bill, saying it was “fundamentally” about protecting people with pre-existing conditions. The bill allows states to opt out of key Obamacare protections for those with pre-existing health concerns.

Representative Tom Garrett also admitted to not reading the bill in its entirety, although he said that “people in my office” had read all parts of it.

"I don't think any individual has read the whole bill," Garrett said. "That's why we have staff."

Congress members say that the White House, concerned with their lack of progress on campaign promises, pushed the House to vote on Thursday. President Donald Trump called several members of Congress personally, reportedly even raising his voice and swearing at them in phone conversations.

Mr Sanford has been outspoken about the president's attempts to sway his vote in the past. The congressman said Mr Trump threatened to run a candidate against him in the midterms if he did not vote “yes” on the first iteration of the bill.

Mr Sanford said the threats “absolutely” did not influence his vote on Thursday.

“I voted 'yes' because ultimately this debate came down to whether or not we simply advance this vote to the Senate.” he said.

Members of the Senate, for their part, say they plan to make major changes to the legislation.

“Y'all, I'm still waiting to see if it's a boy or a girl," GOP Senator Lindsey Graham said of the House bill. “Any bill that has been posted less than 24 hours, going to be debated three or four hours, not scored? Needs to be viewed with suspicion."

The representatives did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.