WASHINGTON — The House Freedom Caucus scored a victory with conservatives Friday when House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Trump decided to abandon legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. But the group now also must face a party and a president frustrated that their demands for a more conservative approach forced the legislation to a standstill that leaves the Affordable Care Act in place.
On Friday afternoon, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announced that the legislation had been pulled from consideration because there were not enough votes for it to pass.
While the bill faced critics from all factions of the party, no group played more of a role in sinking the legislation than the Freedom Caucus.
The caucus — which is made up for approximately three dozen hardline conservatives — felt the legislation put forth by House leadership did not go far enough to repeal the health care law. They vowed that enough of their members would vote “no” to sink the bill if their demands weren’t met.
Freedom Caucus members spent weeks in meetings with the president and top-level officials — as recently as Friday afternoon they huddled with the vice president on Capitol Hill — but did not work with House leadership until the final hours leading up to the vote. In the end, and the majority of the caucus members vowed to vote against the bill, and without their support it couldn't pass.
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., is a member of the Freedom Caucus who did not announce which way he planned to vote, but he acknowledged Friday morning that the group he belonged to was in a complicated position.
“This kind of cuts two ways. If the bill fails because of the Freedom Caucus then certainly it will be impossible to suggest that they have no influence. But if it fails because the Freedom Caucus and is seen in a negative light then it will incur the wrath of those who see it that way,” Franks told USA TODAY. “I think (President Trump) might be among those voices.”
“No, not particularly. They're friends of mine. I'm disappointed because we could have had it. So I'm disappointed. I'm a little surprised, to be honest with you. We really had it. It was pretty much there within grasp,” Trump told reporters after the announcement that the vote had been pulled. “It was a very hard time for them and a very hard vote. But they're very good people.”
“I’m a member of the Freedom Caucus and I do not blame the Freedom Caucus. I thought we were constructive, it was just a bridge too far in terms of the differences between conservatives and the moderates,” Texas Rep. Joe Barton, who was one of the lawmakers who had decided to back the bill, told reporters Friday afternoon. “We’ll come back next week and keep pushing freedom. We helped improve the bill we got quite a bit in it, we didn’t get everything we want.”
Ryan was cautious assigning blame for the defeat in an afternoon press conference, but he did prod the reluctant members of his party. "Ultimately, this all kind of comes down to a choice. Are all of us willing to give a little to get something done?" Ryan said. "Are we willing to say yes to the good, the very good, even if it's not the perfect? Because if we're willing to do that, we still have such an incredible opportunity in front of us."
Heritage Action, an influential conservative interest group that said the bill was too timid, applauded the Freedom Caucus members for standing firm.
“It is encouraging to see lawmakers like (Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Meadows) and (former caucus chair Rep. Jim Jordan) and these folks who are willing to stand up to incredible pressure,” Heritage Action Vice President of Communications and Government Relations Dan Holler told USA TODAY. “If they can continue to do that it means the policy outcomes will continue to get better as the leadership realizes they have to work with the House Freedom Caucus in a substantive way early on in the process.”
But not everyone was as optimistic.
“There’s some divisiveness within our conference now that is not healthy. And it will take a while to heal, even if this does pass,” Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., told reporters Friday morning when it was still unclear what would happen with the vote. “I’ve never seen this before, but people are just, they’re refusing to talk to each other. They’re storming past each other. This is not good.”
“We have to understand we’re no longer the party of ‘no’ we have to learn how to govern," said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., late Friday afternoon.“I believe at some point in time we have to get issues on the floor let the House work its will and look — if it’s going to go down, let the ‘no’s own it."
