Rep. Ted Poe announced on Sunday he is resigning from the Freedom Caucus, which helped scuttle GOP attempts to pass a bill repealing and replacing Obamacare, The Texas Tribune reported.
"Saying no is easy, leading is hard, but that is what we were elected to do," Poe said in a statement. "Leaving this caucus will allow me to be a more effective member of Congress and advocate for the people of Texas."
In further explaining his decision, Poe said that "In order to deliver on the conservative agenda we have promised the American people for eight years, we must come together to find solutions to move this country forward."
Last week as the Freedom Caucus pressed for conservative changes to the Republican health care legislation, Poe was one of a handful of caucus members who was convinced to back the bill after lobbying from President Donald Trump.
However, most of the members held out, forcing the GOP to not bring the bill to a vote for fear it would fail to pass, and spurring criticism from fellow Republicans that the caucus is harming the party.
Shortly after the bill was pulled from its schedule vote on Friday, Poe sent out a tweet appearing to criticize caucus members.