After 27-hour Hill debate, Obamacare repeal a test for dealmaker-in-chief

Washington, D.C. (Stephen Collinson, Sara Murray and Eric Bradner, CNN) — A second House committee approved the Republican Party’s Obamacare repeal bill Thursday, as President Donald Trump flexed his deal-making skills to build momentum behind the legislation amid growing concern among prominent GOP figures that fast-tracking the measure could backfire.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to move the bill to the House floor after a marathon hearing lasting 27 hours and 18 minutes, hours after the Ways and Means panel registered the first milestone for the American Health Care Act, endorsing it after their own 18-hour session.

The bill, which is strongly backed by the White House, marks a crucial first legislative test for Trump’s capacity to enact his agenda and could represent the Republican leadership’s last best hope for dismantling former Democratic President Barack Obama’s proudest domestic achievement.

The White House is convinced that it can bring around skeptics of the bill in the House and the Senate — one reason why Trump is stepping up his engagement, with high-profile meetings with leading GOP figures in the debate.

“He gets the complexity of this,” a senior administration official said. “It’s a sell for him,” the official said, adding that Trump sees himself as the ultimate deal maker and “I think he’s willing to cut deals,” to get this legislation passed, the official said.