As Republicans on Capitol Hill grapple with the idea of continuing their efforts to repeal Obamacare, conservatives who helped propel them to victory in 2010 and 2014 are watching the situation closely.
On Wednesday afternoon, leaders of several grassroots organizations will call on Congress to continue working on repeal, after all, something Republican politicians have been promising to do for nearly a decade.
Leaders from Club for Growth, Tea Party Patriots, FreedomWorks, ForAmerica, Senate Conservatives Fund, and Family Research Council will participate. They are also reaching out to senators who voted for repeal, not repeal and replace, two years ago and now oppose it.
“Now that Senate Republicans have abandoned their watered-down effort to repeal ObamaCare, we hope this is the beginning of a new day in Washington. It is finally time to drain the swamp and deliver on our promises to the American people. If Republican senators do not want to squander their majority, they will act in good faith to fully repeal ObamaCare, as they have promised repeatedly,” Jenny Beth Martin, president of the Tea Party Patriots, said in a statement.
“Complete repeal means getting rid of all taxes, penalties, and mandates and freeing up the marketplace so Americans have more choice, more freedom, and more affordability in the health insurance marketplace. Working in good faith and truly delivering on this key promise will earn Republicans the goodwill of the American people, which will be critical when it comes time to move on to other key issues like tax reform and growing the economy,” she continued. “We want to thank the senators who have worked tirelessly to improve health insurance policy and encourage all senators to finally listen to the millions of people outside Washington who have been calling for a complete repeal of ObamaCare and less government involvement in the health insurance marketplace.”
Citing the tax burden of Obamacare, FreedomWorks is calling on senators to vote to repeal it next week.
Here are some of the key aspects of ObamaCare that were repealed or changed by the 2015 law:
Contribution tax relief (section 202)
Cost-of-living grants (Section 202)
Small Business Tax Relief (Section 203)
Individual mandate (art. 204)
Employer’s order (Article 205)
Medicaid Expansion (Section 207)
Cadillac Tax (Section 209)
Tax on health savings accounts (Article 211)
Prescription Drug Tax
Medical Devices Tax (Article 214)
Health insurance tax (Article 215)
Tanning tax (Article 219)
Net Investment Tax (Section 220)
“At this point, there is a small group of moderates—Senators Shelly Moore Capito (R-Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio)—who have officially stated that they will vote against the motion to move forward with the ObamaCare repeal bill without a replacement. On December 3, 2015, Senators Capito, Murkowski, and Portman voted in favor of the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act without a replacement. Senator Collins, to no one’s surprise, was one of two Republicans to vote against the bill.” — Jason Pye of FreedomWorks I’m writing.
“From the perspective of FreedomWorks and undoubtedly the minds of conservative grassroots activists, a vote against the motion to continue is a vote to keep ObamaCare. There are no more excuses. With a Republican president calling on the Senate to pass the ObamaCare Repeal Act of 2015 and committing to signing it into law, we finally have an opportunity to achieve a major victory. Let’s not let this moment pass,” he continued.
McConnell plans to bring a repeal bill to the Senate next week, regardless of its chances of passage.
