Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows said he is confident that conservatives will be able to negotiate with President Donald Trump. | AP Photo <\/p>\n
By Kyle Cheney <\/p>\n
03\/10\/17 11:35 AM EST <\/p>\n
Updated 03\/10\/17 01:22 PM EST <\/p>\n
If Republican House leaders are counting on conservatives to cave and back their version of an Obamacare replacement bill, they should think again, a top conservative lawmaker warned Friday. <\/p>\n
That would be a faulty assumption, said Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. <\/p>\n
Story Continued Below <\/p>\n
The caucus two-dozen members have enough clout to sink any pending Obamacare replacement bill, but theyre under heavy pressure from GOP leaders to back the current version, which conservatives say doesnt go far enough to undo Obamacares mandates and Medicaid expansion. <\/p>\n
Some allies of Speaker Paul Ryan are confident that the House's conservative wing will ultimately support the bill in whatever form it takes. And in fact, at least two Freedom Caucus members Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) voted to advance the bill this week when it cleared two crucial committees. But conservatives have indicated they expect to negotiate for changes that could move the bill to the right. <\/p>\n
Meadows, who met Thursday with President Donald Trump, said hes confident that the president is willing to negotiate in good faith with conservative lawmakers who would like to see changes to the pending legislation. <\/p>\n
Do I expect all of the issues that many of the Freedom Caucus members would like to have will be in a final bill that passes? The answer is no, he said. And so its about a good-faith negotiation and I think all of our members are willing to do that. <\/p>\n
House Speaker Paul Ryan and his top allies are warning that theres no room to make major changes to the bill, which relies on scaled back tax credits and a multi-year phase-out of Medicaid expansion to alter Obamacare. If they push the bill too far to the right, they risk losing support of House moderates, and the bill is already facing an uphill climb in the Senate, where only three GOP defections could sink its prospects. <\/p>\n
Asked about leaderships reluctance to accept changes, Meadows said they may want to reconsider. <\/p>\n
If thats the best that they can do then perhaps they have a different whip count than I do, he said. <\/p>\n
Still, Meadows acknowledged that if Trump mounts a lobbying effort aimed at individual conservative members, he may make inroads. <\/p>\n
\"It would be disingenuous to suggest that a call from the president doesnt make a difference,\" he said. \"The policy differences are so strong right now that its not just a little nudge. It would have to be a shove to get us there. ... Thats why we have committed to the president to negotiate in good faith to find a reasonable compromise that makes both moderates and conservatives happy.\" <\/p>\n
Asked about the Freedom Caucus' reputation for always saying no to major legislation, Meadows said in his previous occupation he used to run a real estate development company \"I only got paid for a yes.\" <\/p>\n
\"So maybe thats what we have to get back to,\" he said, \"only getting paid if youre a yes.\" <\/p>\n
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Originally posted here:<\/p>\n
Freedom Caucus head fires Obamacare warning shot - Politico<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows said he is confident that conservatives will be able to negotiate with President Donald Trump. | AP Photo By Kyle Cheney 03\/10\/17 11:35 AM EST Updated 03\/10\/17 01:22 PM EST If Republican House leaders are counting on conservatives to cave and back their version of an Obamacare replacement bill, they should think again, a top conservative lawmaker warned Friday. Continue reading