Rep. Dave Brat's rejection of the plan is notable because it would only take four Republican defections — combined with unanimous Democratic opposition — to block the bill from advancing to the House floor. | AP Photo Obamacare repeal bill faces tough committee vote Thursday Freedom Caucus member Dave Brat said he plans to oppose it. Three more GOP 'no' votes would stop the proposal.

Rep. Dave Brat, a member of the House’s conservative wing, intends to vote against the GOP leadership-backed plan to replace Obamacare when it comes up for a vote Thursday in the House’s powerful budget committee.

The Virginia Republican's rejection of the plan is notable because it would take only four Republican defections — combined with unanimous Democratic opposition — to block the bill from advancing to the House floor. Brat is one of three members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus on the 36-member budget committee. If they unite against the plan, it would take just one other Republican rejection to stop the proposal.


Brat said he hasn't checked with other conservatives on the budget panel as to whether it has enough support to pass.

"It's a tough vote in committee," he said. "It's going to be close, but I don't know where the votes are right now."

Aides to Reps. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), the other Freedom Caucus members on the House budget committee, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. One moderate member, Rep. John Faso (R-N.Y.), also hasn't committed to supporting the bill in committee. His office, too, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The budget committee is technically prohibited from making substantive changes to the health care bill, so members won't be allowed to offer amendments. That's the reason Brat said he intends to oppose it.

But leaders of the committees are working to give members the opportunity to weigh in with concerns about the measure. Leaders have agreed to allow debate on broad, largely symbolic "motions" to outline principles about what changes they might like to see in the proposal. Republicans and Democrats will be granted seven motions each, and while Democrats are expected to use all of theirs, Republicans may only entertain a few.

One of them, though, is expected to focus on reviewing the timing of a phase-out of Medicaid expansion, a focus of the disagreements between House moderates and conservatives.

Those discussions may make it easier for some wary GOP members to advance the still-fluid bill. Chair Diane Black (R-Tenn.) confidently told radio host Hugh Hewitt this morning that the bill will head to the House Rules Committee next week, but an aide said it’s not yet clear how many GOP votes they’ll lose. The committee expects the hearing to last four or five hours.

Brat said he's hopeful to see amendments before the bill comes to the floor for a House vote. He said he and other members of the Freedom Caucus would be more likely to support the plan if it includes a repeal of insurance industry regulations that were features of Obamacare.

"That'll get us a long way toward yes," he said.