Following ‘Replace’ Debacle, Vulnerable GOP Lawmakers Dodge Town Halls
USA Today looks at which members are facing their constituents during recess -- and there are only a few swing-district Republicans who supported the health bill doing so. Meanwhile, ads are being launched from both sides of the aisle over lawmakers' health care stances.
USA Today:
Republicans Avoid Town Halls After Health Care Votes
Reps. Leonard Lance of New Jersey and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania appear to be the only swing-district Republicans who voted for their party’s bill to replace Obamacare who will directly face constituents over the April recess, according to a USA TODAY analysis of scheduled town halls compiled by Townhallproject.com. Fourteen Republicans from competitive congressional districts sit on the three congressional committees that voted last month for their party’s controversial health care plan before GOP leaders pulled the bill from the House floor because it lacked support to pass. (Przybyla, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
Conservative Group's Health Care Ads Target GOP Moderates
The conservative Club for Growth is launching TV spots pressuring moderate Republican lawmakers to support the party's languishing health care overhaul drive, officials of the group said Monday in the latest salvo in the GOP civil war that derailed the House measure. The ads press moderates to back a revised version of the measure that the Trump administration offered last week in talks with conservative legislators. (Fram, 4/10)
The Hill:
House GOP Targets Dems Over ObamaCare During Recess
The House GOP's campaign arm is targeting five vulnerable Democrats over ObamaCare while they're in their home districts for the two-week spring recess. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is launching a series of digital billboards, which were first shown to The Hill, highlighting each Democrats' support for ObamaCare and urging constituents to contact their representatives. (Hagen, 4/10)
And in other news —
Kaiser Health News:
GOP Bills To Replace Obamacare Do Not Tinker With Lawmakers’ Coverage
Under the Affordable Care Act, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and their office staffs who want employer coverage generally have to buy it on the health insurance exchange. Before the law passed in 2010, they were eligible to be covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, or FEHB. (People working for congressional committees who are not on a member’s office staff may still be covered under FEHB.) (Andrews, 4/11)
