by WorldTribune Staff, March 29, 2017
The leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus said he’s ready to deal with House leadership on a consensus bill to repeal and replace Obamacare and is prepared to delay Easter recess to get it done.
“I don’t think we need to go home until we get this done,” Rep. Mark Meadows, North Carolina Republican, told reporters on March 28 following a GOP conference meeting on how best to proceed with health care reform.
“I think if we are going to get this done, we have to get this done now,” Meadows said. “I think we’ve wanted to be yes from the get go – maybe contrary to some of the reporting that is out there – I can tell you, based on my members and listening to them, there has been and continues to be a real desire to get there to yes.”
The repeal bill backed by Speaker Paul Ryan was pulled off the floor on March 24. Meadows made it clear there were enough members of the House Freedom Caucus to sink the bill, saying they felt the legislation failed to truly bring down premiums.
Virginia Rep. Dave Brat said Freedom Caucus members are in agreement that Obamacare needs to be repealed and he echoed Meadows’ sentiments on reaching a consensus.
“This is big, we want to get to a yes on this — let’s do it,” Brat said. “It (pushing back recess) came up in conference.”
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would like to see a consensus reached before Congress breaks for recess.
“I think we should just get it all done before,” he told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Time is of the essence.”
Ryan told reporters on March 28 that lawmakers are committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare, but he doesn’t want to put an “artificial timeline” on achieving that goal.
“This is too important not to get right,” he said.
Freedom Caucus: Delay Easter recess until deal reached on Obamacare repeal added by World Tribune on
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