Influential conservative groups attack Republicans amid a fight over the future of their Obamacare repeal bill
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The Club for Growth and Heritage Action have begun to attack moderate members of the Republican House conference for their opposition to changes being proposed to the American Health Care Act, the GOP legislation that would repeal and replace Obamacare.
"The left wing among House Republicans doesn't want to compromise or keep their pledge to voters to repeal Obamacare," Club for Growth president David McIntosh said in a statement on Wednesday.
And during a call with reporters earlier in the day, Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham said he believes the moderate Tuesday Group caucus "clearly wants to keep Obamacare in place."
The groups, which are influential in conservative circles, opposed the original iteration of AHCA before it was pulled from a floor vote, calling it "Obamacare-lite" and did not repeal enough of the law, officially known as the Affordable Care Act. The groups have supported some of the proposed concessions to the Freedom Caucus.
But moderate members of the House, including the Tuesday Group, have balked at some of the proposed concessions, including the repeal of ACA regulations that prevent insurers from charging people of the same age different premiums and baseline standards for insurance plans called essential health benefits.
The conservative groups say the more moderate members are failing to live up to their promise of repealing the law, and that House GOP leadership is not doing enough to corral the members.
"Conservatives, including the Club for Growth, were willing to accept the latest deal that would let states seek regulation waivers, but moderates want Obamacare largely left intact," the statement from McIntosh said. "This is big-government liberalism at work among House Republicans and Speaker Ryan is letting them run his conference."
Needham also attacked the GOP leadership for not getting the new version of the deal, which has been negotiated primarily by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House, according to the Hill.
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