Obamacare Replacement: What's the Deal with the Freedom Caucus?

Alice Green

9 years ago

The Freedom Caucus is a group of around 30 conservative and libertarian congressmen within the House of Representatives&period;&NewLine;The caucus, which is often associated with the Tea Party movement, came together during the events leading up to former Speaker John Boehner&rsquo&semi;s resignation&period;&NewLine;The hardline group formed as a sort of offshoot of the Republican Study Committee&period; It was founded by nine Republican representatives following a congressional retreat in Pennsylvania in 2015&period;&nbsp&semi;The group&rsquo&semi;s original members insisted that anyone interested in joining must be willing to vote against then-Speaker of the House John Boehner&period;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;The Freedom Caucus was heavily involved in the events surrounding Boehner&rsquo&semi;s resignation&period; In October 2015, the caucus said that it has reached a supermajority in favor of Paul Ryan&period;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;Nearly all members of the Freedom Caucus opposed President Trump&rsquo&semi;s American Health Care Act, and Trump has largely blamed them for the GOP&rsquo&semi;s failure to pass the bill&period; &nbsp&semi;&NewLine;&ldquo&semi;The Republican House Freedom Caucus was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory&period; After so many bad years they were ready for a win&excl;&rdquo&semi; tweeted Trump on March 27th&period; &ldquo&semi;The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don&rsquo&semi;t get on the team, &amp&semi; fast&period; We must fight them, &amp&semi; Dems, in 2018&excl;&rdquo&semi; he tweeted a few days later&period;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;Caucus member Jim Jordan (R-OH) argues that the healthcare bill was rushed and badly written&period; It was unpopular&period; It was opposed by conservatives and moderates&period; &ldquo&semi;Tweets and statements and blame don&rsquo&semi;t change the facts,&rdquo&semi; he told CNN&period;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;But not all members of the caucus opposed the healthcare bill, and Rep&period; Ted Poe (R-TX) withdrew himself from the group following the bill&rsquo&semi;s failure to pass&period; &ldquo&semi;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,&rdquo&semi; said Poe&period;&NewLine;Republicans have criticized Trump&rsquo&semi;s attack on the Freedom Caucus, insisting that the GOP must work together if it has any hope of drafting healthcare legislation to replace ObamaCare&period;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;&ldquo&semi;There&rsquo&semi;s a better way of doing this,&rdquo&semi; said Rush Limbaugh in response to Trump&rsquo&semi;s twitter tirade against the caucus&period; &ldquo&semi;These guys are not the enemy&period; The Democrats are the enemy&period; The Freedom Caucus has actually made a pretty big move here&period;&rdquo&semi;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;&ldquo&semi;The Freedom Caucus, as well as the moderates&hellip&semi;that squashed the terribly written American Health Care Act (AHCA) quite possibly saved the Republicans an embarrassing defeat in the 2018 midterms,&rdquo&semi; writes WND&rsquo&semi;s Carl Jackson&period; &ldquo&semi;The president needs the Freedom Caucus as much as they need him&period; So, here&rsquo&semi;s a suggestion for President Trump and Speaker Ryan&colon; Stop bashing the Freedom Caucus and work with them instead&period;&rdquo&semi;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;The Freedom Caucus does want to eradicate ObamaCare, but they didn&&num;8217&semi;t think Trump&&num;8217&semi;s&nbsp&semi;first try at replacement legislation went far enough to undo the law&period; Personally, I give them credit for sticking to their principles even when it means going against the majority of their party&period;&NewLine;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;