Rep. Ted Poe of Humble resigns from the House Freedom Caucus in wake of health care loss.
Congressman says he’s leaving to be ‘more effective’
If President Donald Trump is going to put the blame for Republicans’ inability to pass health care legislation on the House Freedom Caucus, at least one member of the conservative coalition thinks it deserves it.
Rep. Ted Poe of Humble resigned Sunday from the coalition of 35 to 40 conservative House lawmakers in protest over the group’s opposition to the Re- publican health care bill that tanked in Congress on Friday.
“I have resigned from the House Freedom Caucus,” Poe said in a statement. “In order to deliver on the conservative agenda we have promised the American people for eight years, we must come together to find solutions to move this country forward. Saying no is easy, leading is hard, but that is what we were elected to do. Leaving this caucus will allow me to be a more effective Member of Congress and advocate for the people of Texas. It is time to lead.”
Poe’s resignation comes hours after Trump tweeted that the Freedom Caucus, along with conservative groups that share its hardline ideological views, “have saved Planned Parenthood” and Obamacare by opposing the bill.
It’s not clear whether Trump’s statement had a direct effect on Poe’s decision to leave the caucus. He was leaning toward voting for the bill, and he was openly critical of his conservative colleagues as the bill was being pulled from a vote. As the fallout from Republicans’ inability to make good on a major campaign promise continues, the White House and GOP leaders are increasingly vocal about their frustrations with the House Freedom Caucus.
“We can’t be chasing the perfect all the time,” Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said Sunday on Fox News.