The House Freedom Caucus, the vocal group of conservatives and a constant thorn in the side of Republican leaders for years, has led the charge against the GOP bill to repeal and replace much of Obamacare.
They claim to have the votes needed to block the bill in the dramatic vote Thursday.
But if they can’t deliver, it may be a body blow that forever damages the group’s reach and prominence as a credible force in the House’s right flank. And it could cement President Donald Trump’s dominion over the conservative voters Freedom Caucus members represent.
Trump is a formidable new foe for the Freedom Caucus. No longer is it simply them vs. House leaders with bills that have no chance of being signed by former President Barack Obama. This time, the group is up against their own Republican President, who with all his policy shortcomings, is widely viewed as the ultimate closer.
Tuesday morning, Trump arrived on Capitol Hill ready to apply the pressure to Republicans in a closed-door meeting. The President called out Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows by name, warning members in the meeting that they could lose their seats in the 2018 election or in primaries if House Republicans couldn’t deliver on their seven-year promise to repeal Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
“Honestly, a loss is not acceptable folks,” Trump said according to an aide in the room.
“Mark Meadows, he called out two or three times,” Rep. Bill Flores, a Texas Republican, told reporters after the meeting. “The reaction when he said ‘Mark Meadows, I’m coming after you’ was pretty loud cheers.”
Meadows’ North Carolina colleague Richard Hudson told reporters “Oh, Mr. Meadows loves any attention. Any spotlight he has — it was the highlight of his week.”
The conservative flank of the party has long irritated leadership, but its ability to hold the line and get their way is far less certain under Trump.
Multiple members emerging from the meeting noted that Trump seemed to be half joking in his remarks, but the reality for Freedom Caucus members is clear; a vote against the GOP bill — the “American Health Care Act” — could have real consequences for their political futures.
“This is not a decision made on personalities, it’s made on policies,” Meadows said Monday night. “In my opinion, just speaking candidly, this is a defining moment for our nation, but it’s also a defining moment for the Freedom Caucus.”
Still, Meadows remained steadfast after the meeting, claiming he still planned to vote “no” on the bill. Asked if he was worried he could lose his seat for voting against Trump’s first legislative agenda item, Meadows shook his head.
“You know I serve at the pleasure to the people of Western North Carolina and when you serve at their pleasure, it’s only those 750,000 people that can send you home, and it’s a temporary job and I have known that since Day 1,” Meadows said after the meeting.
Meadows was just as confident after an early afternoon Freedom Caucus session, in which reporters could hear applause and thumping on tables. He said there’s more than the 21 votes needed to block the measure.
The Freedom Caucus is being treated seriously. Meadows was called into a meeting Tuesday afternoon with Vice President Mike Pence to discuss the bill.
On Monday night — before Trump met with House Republicans and before the final changes to the House bill were announced — members didn’t appear ready to budge.
“We don’t believe that they have 216 votes. In fact, we know that they don’t have 216 votes,” Idaho Republican Raul Labrador said Monday night.
Despite the claims from lawmakers, the Freedom Caucus still has not taken an official position on House leadership’s bill as a unit, just individual members have expressed their opposition. On Tuesday, Heritage Action, a conservative outside group, announced it would score against the bill. And, another conservative outside group Club for Growth also has announced its opposition.
A senior House GOP staffer had a dire warning Tuesday.
“If Congressman Meadows goes into this meeting and tries to convince them to oppose this bill as a bloc, he is like Jim Jones asking them to drink the Kool-Aid. The President was 100% clear today — to Mr. Meadows and the entire room of members — that he wants this bill put on his desk, and he was just as clear about what he thinks will happen to members if they fail to keep this big promise to voters,” the aide said. “If the Freedom Caucus were to oppose this as a bloc and stop its passage, the blame for not repealing Obamacare would fall firmly at the feet of each and every Freedom Caucus member who chose to oppose the president, and one would think most of them understand this fact.”