The House will vote again to repeal Obamacare, after House conservatives demanded it earlier this month.
In a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, members of the Republican Study Committee asked leaders to give them another chance to vote on repealing the entire law before Congress takes a break mid-February.
“As you know, the American people have entrusted House Republicans with their largest majority since the election of 1928,” they wrote. “It is essential that we use this historic mandate to act quickly to do the people’s work, which includes voting to fully repeal Obamacare.”
The letter was signed by RSC Chairman Bill Flores and 73 committee members, who also wrote that they want “every available avenue” used against the Affordable Care Act, including measures targeting individual aspects of the law as well as dismantling it through the budget reconciliation process and the appropriations process.
Republicans have been somewhat divided this Congress over how to approach the 2010 healthcare law, which they almost uniformly oppose. Some have wanted to work on repealing the entire law — which would prove a challenge with President Obama still in office — while others have emphasized trying to change parts of it or passing their own alternative plan.
Last November, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy expressed hesitancy at holding a vote repealing all of Obamacare until Republicans are ready to present their own healthcare reform.
“I would press for [a repeal vote] when we have the ability to replace it at the same time, but the first thing I’m going to start on is the economy to get it moving again,” he told Fox News’ Meygn Kelly.
While various groups are working on a Republican replacement plan — and the RSC proposed its own plan a few years ago under the leadership of former Chairman Steve Scalise — members decided at a lunch early this month that they wanted to push leadership for a full repeal vote first.
That’s similar to what happened in 2013, when newly-elected members also petitioned for a chance to vote on repealing the entire law — and leadership consented, holding a repeal vote in May.
