The conservative group Tea Party Patriots on Monday offered a hot-cold response to Senate Republicans' last-ditch healthcare plan, saying most of their members don't support it but that the GOP should pass it anyway.
Republicans are scrambling to get the votes to pass the latest iteration, which would toss healthcare — along with a block-grant of federal dollars — to the states to custom fit healthcare plans.
The problem for conservatives is that the bill sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy doesn't fully repeal Obamacare.
"The majority of our supporters do not support the Graham-Cassidy bill, and a supermajority still demand that Republicans live up to their promises to fully repeal Obamacare. Nevertheless, these same people believe Tea Party Patriots should support Graham-Cassidy as a step toward full repeal," TPP president and co-founder Jenny Beth Martin said in a statement.
Sen. Rand Paul has similar reservations and won't support Graham-Cassidy because of it, calling it Obamacare Lite.
The other problem is time — Republicans have a deadline of Sept. 30.
"We are willing to bend and give to get as much as we can right now in a good faith effort to find a solution that can get 51 votes and repeal as much of Obamacare now as possible," Martin wrote.
"In return, we insist that Senate Majority Leader McConnell and House Speaker Ryan get their priorities straight. Repealing ObamaCare is a promise they’ve been making for seven years," Martin wrote.
"Instead of spending time over the next two weeks working to find a way to take care of people who broke the law to enter our country, they should focus on passing Graham-Cassidy," wrote Martin, referring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
"Our message is simple: Keep your promises. Do your job. Earn your pay. Repeal Obamacare. Pass Graham-Cassidy, set our country on a path to fully repeal Obamacare, and restore freedom, choice and affordability to our health care system," Martin wrote.
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