Texas has no shortage of prominent GOP leaders – both here in The Republic and in the swamp in Washington. Some (like Sen. Ted Cruz) are practically household names and have a large national presence. Others are similarly influential and effective, but prefer to do the real heavy lifting behind the scenes, when possible. This is the way many Texans think of Congressman Randy Weber.
The drive to repeal and replace Obamacare will continue to vex conservative reformers like Weber. While the first pass of the Republican-sponsored American Health Care Act didn’t cross the finish line, there is no time to relax and celebrate the halt of a far-from-perfect legislative effort. We need our strongest conservatives to stand strong. The healthcare reform issue is far from being considered a win for conservatives. In this regard, Rep. Weber can help lead the way.
He has already offered some of the most thoughtful and articulate baseline summaries of Obamacare here:
“ObamaCare is bad law, passed through a flawed process, and it will have a lasting negative impact on our nation. We must repeal it immediately and replace it with sensible, patient-centered health-care reforms.” – Rep. Weber
He specifically pointed out what the Obamacare disaster has meant:
“Since the President’s health care law has been implemented, we have seen numerous security glitches with healthcare.gov. Small businesses are being stifled and forced to cut jobs. Worse still, families are losing their coverage and seeing premiums skyrocket. Last Congress, House Republicans put forth legislation that would help alleviate many of the hardships Obamacare mandated on our job creators and families, but this effort was blocked by Harry Reid and the President. The President’s resistance to working with Congress is not about the best policies for the American people, but about politics and pride. The President should work with Congress to repeal Obamacare and pass legislation like the American Health Care Reform Act, which would foster affordable health care coverage options for all Americans without having the government takeover 1/6th of the economy.”
The GOP majority in the House of Representatives was certainly right to move forward with an aggressive policy solution to the Obamacare mess… but was the American Health Care Act good enough?
Rep. Weber was clearly concerned. His dispatch from the Hill stated, “In House Freedom Caucus intense debate, making the AHCA as strong as possible, NOT another government program. Needs more vetting.”
He also chided GOP leaders for indicating the health care overhaul is dead for now.
“When we had a Democratic president in the White House, the House of Representatives passed 60 bills to repeal Obamacare,” Weber said. “Why in the world wouldn’t they try it more than once with a Republican president?”
It is well past time for the GOP majority in the House to keep faith with its voters and its principles. As limited government constitutionalists, we need to bolster members like Randy Weber to continue the fight. If he or we settle for anything less than an effective and workable repeal of Obamacare, it will be a legislative and political defeat that will both cripple the Republican Party and devastate the reform movement.