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Discussion about the issue at a closed door meeting on Wednesday morning got so tense that congressional aides were kicked out of the meeting when the debate turned emotional, according to several GOP sources.
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Republican aides stressed that leaders were not officially “whipping” the bill — urging members to vote one way or another on what they said is a vote of conscience. But the series of last minute meetings show they are trying to avoid an embarrassing situation of putting a bill on the floor without knowing they had sufficient support to pass it.
CNN’s Dana Bash and Athena Jones contributed to this report.
