Republicans begin to grumble: Why haven’t we repealed Obamacare yet? – CNN
The sentiment is beginning to simmer within the influential conservative wing of the Republican Party and hints at what could be the opening of an intra-party rift as the GOP's mission to overhaul the country's health care system appears to be losing steam.
In one faction are lawmakers increasingly wary of the pitfalls of a quick and sweeping repeal of the Affordable Care Act. In recent days, top congressional Republicans who are most intimately involved in health care policy have urged moderation: Fearing the consequences of a rapid repeal, they have begun to speak of "repairing" the law and even preserving aspects of it that are working.
That shift in tone has irked other Republicans who are eager to take a swift vote to roll back as much of Obamacare as possible. Their fear: their conservative constituents back home won't settle for anything else.
"For goodness sake, we should be able to put something on President Trump's desk that's at least as good as what we put on President Obama's desk. Not something watered down," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told CNN in an interview. "Let's repeal it. Let's do what the voters sent us here to do."
Asked about the political ramifications of repealing less than what the House has voted for in the past, Jordan responded forcefully. "That'd just be the flat out wrong thing to do. No. Just flat out wrong," he said.
Even Trump now seems to lower expectations. In an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly that aired before the Super Bowl Sunday, Trump referred to the process of overhauling the health care system as "very complicated" and wouldn't commit to a firm timeline on when an Obamacare alternative would be rolled out.
For the most conservative members of the House, that timeline might be unacceptable.
Jordan, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, along with the group's chairman, Rep. Mark Meadows, released a statement last week calling on House leadership to bring for a vote the Obamacare repeal bill that the House passed during the last Congress. (That measure was vetoed by President Barack Obama.)
House Speaker Paul Ryan and other top Republicans are currently crafting a similar budget reconciliation bill that would unravel big chunks of the law. But that process has become complicated by pressure to include Obamacare replacement measures in that legislation.
Ryan said at a news conference last week that he now hopes to move Obamacare legislation by the end of March.
Meadows told CNN that the party needs to move much faster.
"I don't know that there's any new revelations that are going to come up by waiting 60 to 90 more days," Meadows said. "We're making the whole idea of repeal and replacement far more complex and laborious than it needs to be and I think it's time that we just make some decisions and move forward with (the repeal bill)."
On considering anything less than what was voted on in 2015, Meadows quipped: "You don't get any credit with any of your constituents if you do that."
It's not clear how widespread the calls to vote on the 2015 Obamacare repeal bill could become.
But when members of the House Freedom Caucus gather for their weekly dinner in Washington early this week, they plan to discuss the topic and try to garner broader support, according to a source.
Meadows and Jordan said they support voting on a replacement bill at the same time as the repeal legislation, and are exploring potential legislation that they could rally around.
Last week, members of the Freedom Caucus met with Sen. Rand Paul to discuss the Kentucky Republican's Obamacare legislation and a potential cross-chamber partnership. Paul has been adamant that an Obamacare alternative must be ready before the GOP votes to repeal the law -- a priority echoed by many fellow Republicans.
Reassuring the public that the GOP won't allow millions to suddenly lose coverage will become an increasingly urgent task, as Republican lawmakers start to receive blowback from constituents for dismantling the Affordable Care Act at town halls across the country.
Doug Heye, who served as top aide to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, scoffed at the complaints coming from some Republicans that the party isn't voting to repeal Obamacare quickly enough.
Heye, a CNN political commentator, witnessed first-hand the party's months-long effort in 2014 to craft an Obamacare replacement bill -- an exercise that didn't go anywhere.
"I can tell you chapter and verse about 2014 and all the meetings that I went to on replacement where we never produced draft legislation," Heye said. "We could do the repeal vote -- that was easy. Then we tried to craft the replacement legislation, which not having the Senate and not having the White House -- it was still very much of a political act. And now it's more than that."
See more here:
Republicans begin to grumble: Why haven't we repealed Obamacare yet? - CNN
- Republicans, not Democrats, hold fate of Trump nominees in their hands - The Washington Post - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Joy Reid sends message to Republicans ahead of Thanksgiving: 'Make your own dinner, MAGA' - Fox News - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Clean Energy Advocates and Businesses Wrestle With an Uncertain Future as Republicans Target IRA Funds - InsideClimate News - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- In WA state Legislature, Democrats and Republicans are sticking with their leaders - Washington State Standard - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Trump promised to boost oil and gas. But what do other Republicans think? - WWNO - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Iowa Republicans form House higher education committee for long overdue review - Higher Ed Dive - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Republicans to file contest lawsuit over 21 missing ballots in Scott County - ABC 6 News KAAL TV - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Republicans push back against Democrats' claims that Trump intelligence pick Gabbard is compromised - The Associated Press - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Republicans Ponder: What if the Trump Tax Cuts Cost Nothing? - The New York Times - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Why Republicans think their Senate majority could last the decade: From the Politics Desk - NBC News - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Republicans Big Tax Challenge Is Fitting All Their Priorities in One Bill - The Wall Street Journal - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Vying to be next governor, Republicans wrangle over Trump - NJ Spotlight News - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Sarah McBride on bathroom issues: It is an attempt to distract by Republicans - POLITICO - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Republicans suddenly think the economys great and the election wasnt rigged - POLITICO - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- Big voter turnout this year benefited Republicans, contradicting conventional political wisdom - The Associated Press - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- A study found that Xs algorithm now loves two things: Republicans and Elon Musk - The Verge - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- Cole says Republicans should be working with Trump to try and achieve his objectives - The Hill - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- What They Are Saying: Republicans Disgusted by Trumps Ultra-MAGA Gut Punch With Gaetz Pick - Democrats.org - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- The Disturbing Reason Senate Republicans Might Greenlight All of Trumps Nominees - Slate - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- House elections produced a stalemate. Can Republicans figure out how to work with a thin majority? - The Associated Press - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- House Republicans applaud Trump's picking Kennedy to lead HHS -- with a few concerns - ABC News - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him - The Associated Press - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans Are Leaving Office for Trump Posts. How Will the Vacancies Be Filled? - The New York Times - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans retain their hold of the House, clinching full control of Congress - NPR - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- NY Republicans may kill congestion pricing in Congress if Trump can't nix the tolls - Gothamist - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Trump is already testing Republicans, and some seem unwilling to defy him - The Washington Post - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Election 2024 highlights: Republicans win House majority of 218 seats - The Associated Press - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- What Republicans could do with their power as they secure control of House and Senate - PBS NewsHour - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans win the House and cement party trifecta for Trump - BBC.com - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- New York Republicans now have an Elise Stefanik-sized void to fill - POLITICO - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Schumer to Republicans: Please dont do to us what we were going to do to you - Washington Examiner - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans finally win the coveted trifecta - The Economist - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans will retain House majority, CNN projects, completing GOPs dominance of Washington - CNN - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- What Republicans are saying about Matt Gaetzs nomination for attorney general - The Associated Press - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans Maintain House Majority, Clinching Trifecta of Government Control - TIME - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- WATCH: House Republicans ready to deliver, Johnson says as GOP readies for new Trump era - PBS NewsHour - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- House Republicans strike deal on motion to vacate, making it harder to oust speaker - ABC News - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans Ran a Dysfunctional House. Voters Shrugged and Re-elected Them. - The New York Times - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans begin picking their next leaders in Congress - NPR - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans Try to Block Counting of Undated Ballots in Pennsylvania - Democracy Docket - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans Win Control Of The HouseGiving Trump Unified Government - Forbes - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Column: Victorious Republicans are once again falling for the mandate trap - Los Angeles Times - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans won the House. Now comes the hard part. - ABC News - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- As Trump Staffs Up, House Republicans Watch Their Expected Majority Shrink - The New York Times - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Could Matt Gaetz Face GOP Revolt? What Senate Republicans Have Said - Newsweek - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Republicans on the verge of clinching control of the US House - The Guardian US - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Florida Republicans are thrilled about Susie Wiles with one big exception - POLITICO - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Women fear Republicans will move to overturn no-fault divorce laws - The Washington Post - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Democrats and Republicans agree on one thing: any lessons learned from Trump 2.0 will be immediately forgotten - The Guardian - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Republicans win control of the Senate; House remains up for grabs - NBC News - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Hill Republicans ready ambitious agenda as they hope for full sweep of Washington - CNN - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Republicans will flip the Senate, CNN projects, shifting balance of power in Washington - CNN - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Republicans flip the US Senate, ending three years of Democrat control - Al Jazeera English - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Republicans reassert their dominance in Texas - The Texas Tribune - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- For Trump and Republicans in Congress, everything is in play on tax cuts - The Washington Post - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- With Republicans Claiming the Senate and Possibly the House, Congress Expected to Reverse Course on Climate - InsideClimate News - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Missouri voted for abortion-rights amendment and Republicans who vow to overturn it - Missouri Independent - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Republicans Make Early Inroads in Their Fight to Keep the House Majority - The New York Times - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Harris Tried to Win Over Republicans. Democratic Support Collapsed Instead - Rolling Stone - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- 'Republicans for Harris' Campaign Reported to FEC - Newsweek - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- The Death of Never Trump Republicans? - U.S. News & World Report - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Georgia: how this pivotal swing state flipped back to the Republicans - The Conversation - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- What Republicans can do with their new power and where theyll struggle - Semafor - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Republicans see possible path to total control of Washington - The Washington Post - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- How close are Republicans to retaining the House? Results show it's tight - Scripps News - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Control of the Senate went to the Republicans but what about the House? - NBC New York - November 10th, 2024 [November 10th, 2024]
- Georgia Republicans, Trump campaign file lawsuit to halt counties 'illegally accepting' early voting ballots - Fox News - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Republicans' Chances of Winning the Senate, the House and the White House - Newsweek - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- If Donald Trump wins, these are the Republicans he'll lean on to pass his priorities - USA TODAY - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- I visited a deeply divided Pennsylvania and found Republicans repeating an enormous lie - The Guardian US - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Republicans supporting Harris say "Whisper Caucus" could swing the election - NC Newsline - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Opinion | Do Republicans like Trump in spite of what he says, or because of it? - The Washington Post - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Here Are the Republicans Voting For Harris Over Trump - TIME - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Republicans probably will try to repeal CHIPS Act that drew Micron to Central NY, House speaker says - syracuse.com - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Opinion | My Fellow Republicans, Its Time to Say Enough With Trump - The New York Times - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Kansas Republicans welcome surge in advance voting after adopting Democratic Party tactic - Kansas Reflector - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Republicans are betting big on trans issues. Following through could prove harder. - POLITICO - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Republicans Closing Argument: We Will Wreck the Economy - Bloomberg - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- 'Obamacare' enrollment opens, as Republicans threaten the health insurance program used by millions - The Associated Press - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]
- Johnson vows health care overhaul if Republicans win in November elections - CNN - November 4th, 2024 [November 4th, 2024]