[McClatchy Report] WASHINGTON - Frustration is mounting among Republican activists over the GOP’s continued failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, with grassroots groups now warning of consequences for lawmakers in the 2018 elections if the Senate doesn’t reach a deal soon.
"Activists, real grassroots people, are absolutely disappointed, and to some point I’d say devastated, over what we feel like is a broken promise," said Donald Bryson, the state director of the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, an influential conservative group backed by the Koch brothers.
"A lot of these people are just really like, ’Why wasn’t there a plan? Why don’t you all have a sense of urgency?’" he said, even as he noted that conservatives could still support the ultimate repeal bill.
In a surprise move last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delayed a vote on the measure until after the July 4 recess in an effort to lock down more support for the bill. Lawmakers are now scrambling, again, to hammer out an agreement to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that won’t cause either the moderates or the conservatives to jump ship on a proposal that was at the very heart of the Republican message for years.
After all, McConnell can only afford two "no" votes, and going into the recess this week, there remained considerable opposition to the bill drafted in secret. |