American Conservative Union endorses Ryan-backed Obamacare replacement plan

While admitting that conservatives are “in a difficult spot” with a less-than-perfect reform plan on the table, the American Conservative Union called on House Republicans to pass the Paul Ryan-backed American Health Care Act.

The ACU said a failure to move the legislation to the Senate is “perilous” and would most likely “cement Obamacare” into place for the foreseeable future.

“The process of legislating is a practical exercise in which competing viewpoints get worked out,” the ACU, headed by former George W. Bush aide Matt Schlapp, said in a press release. “We must find a way to replace Obamacare’s centralized control of healthcare with the most free-market alternative that can pass the House and Senate.”

For his part, President Trump Thursday night signaled that should the House scuttle the AHCA, he will move on to other legislative priorities, all but dooming chances of repealing President Obama’s signature legislative achievement.

The ACU acknowledged that “there are good conservative friends and allies on both sides of the debate” while criticizing House leadership for having been “disrespectful” to conservative members in the legislative process leading up to Friday’s vote.

But, said the 53-year-old conservative lobby group, the AHCA does defund Planned Parenthood and enact reforms to Medicaid while repealing many Obamacare taxes and “defanging” perhaps the most hated aspect of the law, the individual mandate that penalizes Americans who fail to purchase health insurance.

“As it stands, ACU believes there is a compelling enough case for the bill and conservatives should vote for it,” said the conservative lobby’s press release. “Passing this bill will allow the legislative process and debate to continue about what additional improvements can be made. For this Congress to fail to pass an alternative would further cement Obamacare into our society, making any future plans to repeal it virtually impossible.”