Obamacare bill pits conservatives against each other

Heritage Action, the political action group known for pushing the GOP to the right, is warning Republicans that they had better vote against the legislation, which uses special rules to ditch parts of Obamacare. While it represents the GOP’s best chance to land a long-promised repeal bill on the president’s desk, the group is angered that it leaves some big parts of the law intact.

Part of the legislation, however, bans federal funding for Planned Parenthood, prompting other conservative groups focused on social issues to make an opposite plea and urge lawmakers to support the bill. The Susan B. Anthony List and the Family Research Council, influential groups among conservatives, say they will count it against Republicans if they oppose the bill.

The dissension among groups that are usually aligned is putting Republicans between a rock and a hard place, and they now must choose which ones to please and which to anger.

Heritage Action doesn’t like that lawmakers aren’t trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s big spending drivers, namely its Medicaid expansion and low-income subsidies, even though Obama is sure to veto the bill. The group insists the entire law can be repealed using the special reconciliation rules, even though Republican congressional aides say that’s highly questionable.

House Republicans have mostly ignored Heritage’s stance. Just seven of them voted last month against the reconciliation bill. But in the Senate, which is likely to vote on the bill before the Thanksgiving break, some prominent Republicans are taking a stance against it, including presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida as well as Mike Lee of Utah.

Some Republican strategists have downplayed the conundrum, saying it’s too in-the-weeds to be on GOP voters’ radar next year.

But it does present senators with a tactical challenge, as they consider whether to support the only Obamacare repeal bill that could realistically pass the Senate or whether to take an ideological stance against it. In addition, Republicans facing a primary challenger next year don’t want to alienate groups that could help them.

“In the short run, it’s a problem in that it may influence a few resource decisions on the right,” said GOP pollster Wes Anderson, who works on several Senate races. “Different groups may start off looking at such scored votes, which may affect some early spending decisions, but I suspect that won’t last long.”

For now, Heritage Action isn’t shying away from pointing fingers at groups it’s typically in agreement with. Anti-abortion groups are putting conservatives in “an awful position,” said spokesman Dan Holler.

“There are multiple pro-life groups that are forcing good conservatives to choose between their pledge to fully repeal Obamacare versus a partial defunding of Planned Parenthood,” Holler told the Washington Examiner. “It undermines years of work by those trying to keep the Obamacare repeal coalition intact and aligned on full repeal.”

Anti-abortion groups are holding their fire.

“We are in complete agreement with Heritage Action on life and defunding Planned Parenthood,” is all Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser would say. “We see them as great allies in elections.”

And Family Research Council lobbyist David Christensen says senators who don’t think the reconciliation bill goes far enough on Obamacare should offer amendments to “improve” the repeal provisions.

“We think the Senate has the votes and should improve the bill to repeal this unfair and disastrous healthcare law,” Christensen said. “The House would accept such improvements and Congress can get a good Obamacare repeal bill which also defunds a significant portion of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding to the president’s desk.”