Most Republicans would probably agree — putting a health care plan on paper was the easy part. Getting the party on board with it is another story. But repealing 974 pages of Obamacare shouldn’t be too difficult. Both the House and Senate proved that in 2015 when they sent the Restoring Americans’ Health Care Freedom Act to an uncooperative President Obama. Not surprisingly, he didn’t waste any time vetoing the measure that gutted Obamacare and redirected about 80 percent of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding to community health clinics. Although the 2015 repeal set the stage for the GOP’s 2016 election success, the road to repeal has been a bumpy ride, especially now that the public is finally getting a chance to look at the text of their plan.

Already, House conservatives are showing just how fragile the peacekeeping process may be, as at least two Republican caucuses and a handful of senators pushed back on the pillars of Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) American Health Care Act (AHCA). As The Wall Street Journal explains, “Their objections focused on a new program of tax credits, replacing the existing health law’s subsidies, which GOP leaders say would help a wider set of people buy insurance if they don’t get it at work.”

In some members’ opinion, the tax credits are too similar to the subsidies in the law they’re trying to replace. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has been outspoken in his objections, calling the plan everything from Obamacare Lite to Obamacare 2.0. Others, like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), are taking a more proactive posture and suggesting alternatives of their own. The objections are causing plenty of heartburn on the Hill, where Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) need every ounce of GOP support to get a bill across the finish line. Unless Democrats suddenly decide to listen to voters and work to scrap the law, leaders can’t afford to lose more than two senators and 22 congressmen on the plan.

But not everyone thinks the tension in Republican circles is a bad thing. “If they have 218 votes, we won’t get any change. That will be the bill,” Senator Paul told reporters. “If they don’t have 218 votes, there will be a negotiation and conservatives will have a seat in the table.” Like a lot of conservatives, FRC agrees with portions of the AHCA. It eliminates two of the problems with the health care Hydra: the individual mandate and taxpayers’ forced partnership with the abortion industry. What’s troubling is that the GOP seems to be surrendering to the view that health care is a government entitlement. Somewhere along the way, they succumbed to the idea that the government has to provide health care. As Holman Jenkins writes for the Journal, “Even under a GOP plan, health care will remain a heavily subsidized industry in relation to everything else Americans might rationally prefer to spend their money on.”

Fortunately, the White House seems to understand the severity of the divide and says it’s open to suggestions for improvement. House Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows (R-NC) left a meeting with the Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney Tuesday night encouraged that the administration hears their concerns. “We obviously enjoyed the exchange with Director Mulvaney,” Meadows told CQ. “This is not something that is in stone, and [the White House indicated] that they are open to finding a way that best protects people and truly makes health care affordable.” It’s time, Meadows agreed, “to negotiate and really look at things we can coalesce around.”

Let’s hope they do so quickly. Time is ticking on the repeal clock. Secretary Tom Price, who, as a congressman, had plenty of experience maneuvering measures through, isn’t too concerned. “You start at a starting point, people engage and they get involved in the process. We’ll work through it.” One thing they do all agree on (with the exception of liberal Republicans Susan Collins, Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, Alaska) is pulling the plug on Planned Parenthood. In a press conference Wednesday, Speaker Ryan even used that fact as leverage to get more conservatives on board. “[The AHCA] ends the funding to Planned Parenthood and sends that money to community health centers of which there are more of.”

With one-fifth of the economy riding on U.S. health care, Republicans can’t afford to get it wrong. Like Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and others, we believe the best approach is for Congress to repeal Obamacare as it did in 2015 and then address the replace holistically with a separate, well-crafted bill not limited by the parameters of reconciliation.

Originally published here.

Lieutenant Dan Fires Up the Troops on Privacy Bill

If you thought you had long hours, check out the Texas Senate! Members of the State Affairs Committee clocked out well after 4:30 a.m., after putting in more than 21 hours of debate on SB 6, the Texas Privacy Act. For 13 hours, senators listened to passionate testimony from more than 250 witnesses on a bill that would ensure common sense, gender-specific bathroom, shower, and locker room policies in schools and government buildings.

During my time, I reminded the committee that this isn’t about discrimination — but safety. “The threat comes from those who would exploit the situation, by those who would pose as transgender.” That’s exactly what the bill’s author, state senator Lois Kolkhorst (R) was trying to get across to members when she said, “While the media makes it so much about transgender [issues], this is a bill to say men should not go into the women’s restroom.” Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R-NC) was also on hand to debunk the myth that their law — HB 2 — devastated the North Carolina economy. Despite the loss of the NBA All-Star Game and other college championships, Forest said the positive gains far outweighed the negative ones. Even if it hadn’t, he argued, “I will never trade the privacy, safety, and security of a woman or a child for a basketball ticket. And neither should you.”

It’s an incredible balancing act, I explained, but “Senate Bill 6 actually provides for the legitimate needs of the 0.6% of the population that reportedly identify as transgender, without trampling on the rights to safety and privacy of the vast majority.” Ultimately, the committee agreed, voting 8-1 to clear its first hurdle and send the bill to the full Senate for approval. Unfortunately, House Speaker Joe Straus seems to be listening to someone other than the 77 percent of Texans who think SB 6 is a good idea. “Clearly, I’m not a fan of the bill they are discussing,” he told reporters. Like too many liberals, he’s using the worn-out excuse that that Texas should be focused on “more important matters.” What he forgets is that Texas didn’t pick this fight — President Obama did. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and other city councils across the country did. SB 6 is the statewide response to a problem the Left created.

A day earlier, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) did an incredible job encouraging the state’s pastors at FRC’s joint briefing with Texas Values.

“[P]ray for all your legislators to be bold and courageous, do the right thing, pray for their protection and then go out and win this fight for America because America is watching Texas. The world depends on a strong America, and America depends on a strong Texas. And a strong Texas depends on a church and our synagogues.” Then, noting the significance of the date, he said, “Today, on this day, 189 people sacrificed their lives at the Alamo, all died… because they believed in something. Without their sacrifice, none of us would be here today in a place called Texas. We’re not asked to give our lives. We’re not asked to grab our guns. We’re just asked to go cast courageous votes. Go and educate your congregations. Have them call their members.”

The last thing we want is to give any momentum to the Left, especially after the leadership President Trump showed in rolling back the Obama school bathroom mandate. If you live in Texas, keep contacting your state leaders. If you don’t, contact someone even more important: God!

Originally published here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.