Republican Rep. Brooks: 30-40 Republican 'no' votes on health bill

Reuters
U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL) speaks with reporters following a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 21, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Representative Mo Brooks said he believed up to 40 Republicans still opposed their party's healthcare legislation on Thursday, while the chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means committee said he was not sure when a vote would be taken. "In my judgment right now there are probably about 30 or 40 'no' votes on the Republican side," Brooks, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said on MSNBC. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said he believed Republicans were getting closer to a measure they could agree on. "I don't know the timing on this, but I know we are getting very close," Brady said on Fox News. "I know we still have work to do to make sure members' concerns are heard." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)