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Conservative,
Last year, after President Obama vetoed an Obamacare repeal bill that had strong Republican support, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) promised similar repeal if Republicans won the White House.
"We have shown now that there is a clear path to repealing Obamacare without 60 votes in the Senate," he declared. "So, next year, if we're sending this bill to a Republican president, it will get signed into law."
Sadly, he lied.
The bill written by Speaker Ryan this year is nothing like the bill sent to President Obama last year. It fails to repeal many of the core parts of Obamacare and will lead to even higher premiums.
Likewise, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promised numerous times to repeal Obamacare "root and branch."
Sadly, he lied too.
This bill leaves Obamacare's roots, its trunk, and most of its branches. It even waters it with a brand new entitlement program.
These leaders said Obamacare's mandates could not be repealed procedurally in the Senate, but we learned this week that not only is this untrue, they never even asked the parliamentarian about it.
After this lie was exposed, they admitted that they don't actually want to repeal the mandates. This, in turn, exposed the lie that they will repeal the mandates administratively in Phase II of their plan.
The lies never end.
Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell broke their word, failed the American people, and let down President Trump.
It's why there are reports now that the president is disappointed with how GOP leaders handled this process. He should be. And now he should revoke the illegal congressional Obamacare exemption so these leaders are truly motivated to repeal law.
ACHIEVING VICTORY
Now, it's up to conservatives to clean up the leadership's mess and deliver a victory for Americans.
First, conservatives should defeat RyanCare. Take it out back and shoot it because it can't be fixed. It's poorly constructed on many levels and is so unpopular that the best way forward is to start over.
Second, conservatives should demand full Obamacare repeal since that is what Republicans promised and that is the only thing that will fix our health care system. If GOP leaders refuse, conservatives should begin insisting that repeal be part of other must-pass legislation.
While some may want to walk away from the issue, conservatives won't do that. We truly oppose government-run health care and will never stop fighting against it.
One strategy is for Congress to move full Obamacare repeal and tax reform together under budget reconciliation. The revenue savings from full repeal could be used as an offset for significant tax cuts, and both could be passed as part of one bill with 51 votes in the Senate.
Additionally, Republicans in Congress need to assess whether it's time for new leadership. Americans rejected the establishment this past election when they voted for President Trump, and the current leadership may not be willing or even capable of draining the swamp.
Thank you for working so hard to advance the principles of freedom that make America great. Because of your efforts, we may succeed in stopping Obamacare from being forced on us for years to come.
Sincerely,
Ken Cuccinelli II
President
Senate Conservatives Action
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