The Republican lawmaker who left the House Freedom Caucus over its opposition to the GOP plan to repeal and replace parts of Obamacare says it’s time for Republicans to lead and stop saying “no.”
Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, said on CNN the Freedom Caucus has always been an opposition party, mainly against Democrats. However, now that Republicans control the House, Senate and White House, it’s turning into an opposition party against its center-right members.
Poe said there’s an attitude in the Freedom Caucus that needs to fade, one that will stop Congress from passing any Republican legislative priorities.
“It’s time that we lead and … not say no to everything that takes place,” he said. “I got the feeling that there are some members of the Freedom Caucus that would vote no against the 10 Commandments if it came up for a vote.”
Poe resigned from the Freedom Caucus over the weekend because he believed it was time to repeal and replace Obamacare. He was pleased with how conservatives were included in the decision-making process and he felt the Freedom Caucus had been properly wooed by leadership and the White House.
However, the group of about 40 conservatives are so stuck in their ways — they’re sometimes known as the Hell No Caucus for their stringent opposition to many ideas — that they’re going to keep Republicans from moving forward, Poe said.
“The Freedom Caucus will continue to be the opposition party in the Republican Party,” he said. “The issue was always that conservatives were not brought to the table in the Republican Party. Now, we’ve been brought to the table … and they continue to vote no.”
“We’re the party in power, we have to lead whether we want to or not,” he said.
