With some of its members serving in key House of Representatives leadership positions and others heading influential conservative groups, Republicans in North Carolina’s congressional delegation are split over the House GOP bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.
House members currently opposed include Rep. Mark Meadows, chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Walter Jones.
Among those uncommitted is Rep. Mark Walker, while supporters include Reps. Robert Pittenger, Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, George Holding and Richard Hudson.
Walker heads the House’s conservative Republican Study Committee. He’s taking a wait-and-see approach to the bill, hoping that significant changes will be made and make it easier for his charges and members of Meadows’ Freedom Caucus to eventually support it.
“We’re leaning to support with a couple of provisions where a couple of these things get taken care of. Specifically, even one would be a long way for a lot of our members to jump on board and move for it strong,” Walker said Thursday.
Meadows echoed Walker’s sentiment Friday, saying, “My commitment to the president is that I would work extremely hard to negotiate in good faith to make sure this bill is better and actually drives down health care costs and insurance premiums.”
Meadows is concerned the bill doesn’t fully repeal former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act and would create a new Medicare-like federal entitlement that would add to the national debt.
Jones, though, is staunchly opposed to the Republican bill because the Congressional Budget Office hasn’t estimated its cost.
“I am not in favor of supporting any bill that you can’t get a score (cost estimate) on,” Jones said. “So today, and probably tomorrow, and next week, I’ll be a no.” An estimate is expected shortly.
Pittenger, however, said that while the bill isn’t perfect, that shouldn’t stop lawmakers from passing it.
“If there are modifications that can be made to make it politically achievable, let’s go for what we can get,” he said. “I’m a Ronald Reagan conservative: Let’s make the major changes, 80 percent of a loaf, and I’m happy.”