A moderate lawmaker said he isn’t worried that the conservative Heritage Action plans to run ads over the two-week recess in moderate districts targeting lawmakers who opposed an Obamacare repeal bill.
Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., said the group, which is the political arm of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, doesn’t scare him because it is a “nonfactor within the Republican Conference.”
“Heritage Action is about one thing: raising money,” Collins said Wednesday a few hours after the group blamed moderates for failing to reach a deal on Obamacare repeal. “They raise money on controversy. They blast out an e-mail, they gin up their supporters, they cash the checks and they move on.”
Collins added that the Republican conference mainly views the group as “fundraising first. Policy doesn’t matter.”
The response from Collins comes after Heritage Action President Mike Needham hinted earlier Wednesday that Heritage Action could run ads in moderate congressional districts over the two-week recess.
Needham blamed moderates for failing to get on board with a new compromise to repeal Obamacare, which would let states opt out of certain Obamacare insurance regulations.
He said that moderates want to keep Obamacare in place despite campaigning to repeal it.
Heritage Action referred to Collins’ earlier statements that pointed out staggering rate increases in New York under Obamacare.
“Mr. Collins has made a compelling case that Obamacare is hurting the people of New York, and conservatives want to make sure the legislative solution that ultimately lands on President Trump will help his hard-working constituents,” spokesman Dan Holler said. “Right now, he and others in the Republican Conference appear unwilling to actually repeal Obamacare.”