Conservative Republicans haven't given up on repealing Obamacare

WASHINGTON—Conservative Republicans in the House say they haven’t given up yet on repealing Obamacare, even though they face an uphill battle.

Republicans need to do what they said they would do, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Freedom Caucus.

“Whether there is repercussions or not, to me that’s not the issue,” he added.

Jordan and other conservative lawmakers discussed their strategies against Obamacare and other issues of the day with the press on Tuesday, focusing on the need for a unified Republican stand to protect their ideals.

But they acknowledged repealing the law remains a difficult task.

“How do we fight with this president?” asked Rep. Dave Brat, R.-Va. Brat argued the answer should include incremental changes to the law.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., said he sees some Republicans nervous about the idea of repealing the law because they might face public backlash. But Huelskamp argued the repercussions would be worse if Obamacare is extended.

Rep. Diana Black, R-Tenn., once worked as an emergency nurse under her state’s form of affordable healthcare, called TennCare. She said that form of Medicaid failed and recalled seeing cancer patients leave without their treatments.

Today, Black says some of her constituents cannot even afford their co-pays under Obamacare. They are still without healthcare, she said. Huelskamp claims the lowest premiums in his Kansas district under Obamacare are higher than the highest premiums under the old healthcare system.

Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said the Republicans don’t have a strategy to keep from being blamed if the law disappears and people lose their coverage. But he added that shouldn’t keep them from doing what they said they would do: repeal the law.

“This is the president’s law and whatever bad comes from it is his issue,” Labrador, said. He pointed out that one of the reasons for the recent Republican takeover of Congress was the promise to repeal Obamacare.

But the president’s signature law isn’t the only issue firing up conservative Republicans. Labrador disagrees with the GOP leadership on the trade promotion authority deal currently in Congress.

It would take away congressional power to amend foreign trade deals negotiated by the president, keeping the members to an up-or-down vote. Republican leadership supports the deal because they say it could increase trade and help the markets.

“You can be for trade but you might want to have more power, “ Labrador said, “We’re ceding our authority, saying we’ll only have an up or down vote on this bill.”

But Huelskamp is frustrated by the current state of trade: “It’s patently unfair. We’ve got to find a way to bring down the tariffs.”

Black hopes to help the businesses in her state by encouraging a “let’s make it here and sell it there” attitude.