Republican hardliners push for fresh repeal vote

WASHINGTON — Hardline conservatives began an uphill fight Friday to force a fresh House vote this fall on erasing much of President Barack Obama’s health care law without an immediate replacement, the latest instance of Republican rifts in what’s been a fractious week for the GOP.

The effort by the House Freedom Caucus seemed to have no chance of passing Congress. The GOP-led Senate turned down a similar repeal-only bill last month, and top House Republicans have little interest in refighting a health care battle they were relieved to put aside after their chamber approved legislation in May.

With the party’s repeal effort collapsing last month in the Senate, the conservatives’ push gives them a fresh chance to show hardright voters they’ve not surrendered.

It also provides a chance to call attention to Republican lawmakers who’ve pledged to tear down Mr. Obama’s law but haven’t voted to do so with Donald Trump in the White House.

“It’s not about calling out anyone, it’s about doing what we said,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a Freedom Caucus leader. “And I do think people deserve to see if their member of Congress is going to do what they campaigned on.”

The conservatives filed a petition Friday calling for a House vote on dismantling the law that would not take effect until January 2019. They say that would give Congress time to enact a replacement and pressure Democrats to cooperate, a premise Democrats who oppose the repeal effort reject.

To force a House vote, conservatives need signatures of 218 lawmakers, a majority. That seems like a challenge because many GOP moderates oppose annulling the law without a replacement they’d support, and all Democrats are opposed.

Asked how Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., views the conservatives’ push, spokeswoman AshLee Strong said, “The House has already passed a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.”