Koch chief: health care bill not conservative enough
Associated Press
COLORADO SPRING, Colo. — Chief lieutenants in the Koch brothers’ political network lashed out at the Senate Republican health care bill on Saturday as not conservative enough, becoming a powerful outside critic as GOP leaders try to rally support for their plan among rank-and-fileRepublicans.
Tim Phillips, who leads Americans For Prosperity, the Koch network’s political arm, called the Senate’s plans forMedicaid “a slight nip and tuck” of former President Barack Obama’s health care law, a modest change he describedas “immoral.”
“This Senate bill needs to get better,” Mr. Phillips said. “It has to get better.”
Some Republican senators have raised concern about cuts to Medicaid, which provides health care coverage to millions of poor and middle-income Americans. Several more conservative senators have voiced opposition because they feel it does not go far enough in dismantling what they call “Obamacare.”
The comments came on the first day of a three-day private donor retreat at a luxury resort in the Rocky Mountains. Invitations were extended only to donors who promise to give at least $100,000 each year to the various groups backed by the Koch brothers’ Freedom Partners — a network of education, policy and political entities that aim to promote small government.
“When I look at where we are at the size and effectiveness of this network, I’m blown away,” billionaire industrialist Charles Koch told hundreds of donors during an outdoor evening reception. His brother, David Koch, looked on from the crowd along with Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
“We’ve got to keep doing it at an accelerated pace,” Charles Koch said.
No outside group has been more aggressive over the yearslong push to repeal Mr. Obama’s health care law than the Kochs‘, who vowed on Saturday to spend another 10 years fighting to change the health care system if necessary. The Koch network has often displayed a willingness to take on Republicans — including President DonaldTrump — when their policies aren’t deemed conservativeenough.
Network spokesman James Davis said the organization would continue to push for changes to the Senate health care bill over the coming week.
“At the end of the day, this bill is not going to fix health care,” Mr. Davis declared.
The network’s wishes are backed by a massive political budget that will be used to take on Republican lawmakers, if necessary, Mr. Phillips said.
He described the organization’s budget for policy and politics heading into the 2018 midterm elections as between $300 million and $400 million. “We believe we’re headed to the high end of that range,” he said.
On Friday, Nevada Republican Dean Heller became the fifth GOP senator to declare his opposition to the Senate health care proposal. Echoing the other four, Heller said he opposes the measure “in this form” but does not rule out backing a version that is changed to his liking.
Mr. Heller, facing a competitive re-election battle next year, said he was opposing the legislation because of the cuts itwould make in Medicaid.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he’s willing to alter the measure to attract support, and promised plenty of backroom bargaining as he tries pushing a final package through his chamber next week.
Republican leaders have scantmargin for error. Facing unanimous Democratic opposition, Mr. McConnell can afford to lose just two of the 52 GOP senators and still prevail.
At least two of the current opponents, Mr. Lee and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, were among 18 elected officials scheduled to attend the Koch retreat. Two moreundecideds were also on the guest list: Mr. Flake and NebraskaSen. Ben Sasse.
Mr. Trump continued to push for replacing Mr. Obama’s health care law, tweeting Saturday: “I cannot imagine that these very fine Republican Senators would allow the American people to suffer a broken ObamaCare any longer!”
The Senate measure resembles legislation the House approved last month that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would mean 23 million additional uninsured people within a decade and that recent polling shows is viewed favorably by only around one in four Americans.