Conservative House leader urges GOP to not give up on ObamaCare repeal

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is urging Republicans not to give up on efforts to repeal ObamaCare even after a measure was defeated in the Senate.  

“I just think that we’ve got to regroup and continue to stay involved and find something that has 51 votes in the Senate that we can make work,” Meadows told reporters. 

Republican efforts to repeal ObamaCare have appeared dead before, only to come back to life. Notably, the House had to pull its bill from the floor before eventually passing it later.

{mosads}But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) seemed to say the effort was over early Friday morning when he said “it is time to move on” after the failed vote. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) released a statement signaling a pivot to tax reform, while President Trump suggested he would wait for the healthcare law to “implode” on its own.

Asked about McConnell’s comments, Meadows said, “I understand that. I still believe that we can make it work.”

Meadows said he has been in touch with senators over the past couple weeks. 

Separately, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said after the vote that he thinks the repeal effort is not over and that pressure from constituents back home could bring lawmakers back to the table.