A founding member of the House Freedom Caucus said Thursday he is not interested in getting involved in a blame game over Republican failure to replace Obamacare after President Trump declared war on the group.
Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, said the House Freedom Caucus is trying to change Washington and said the bill that Mr. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan tried unsuccessfully to push through the House last week “keeps Washington the same, plain and simple.”
“We appreciate the president. We are trying to help the president, but the fact is you have got to look at the legislation, and it doesn’t do what we told the voters we were going to do and the American people understand that,” Mr. Jordan said on Fox News.
“Look, I am not here to assign blame to anyone,” he said. “I am not here to point to the future. What I am focused on doing is doing what we told voters we would and this bill doesn’t do that, plain and simple.”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Ryan suffered a public loss last week after their push to repeal and replace Obamacare flamed out behind closed doors after they failed to get buy-in from most of the members of the House Freedom Caucus - including Mr. Jordan.
After initially blaming Democrats, Mr. Trump has directed more and more criticism at the House Freedom Caucus.
“The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” Mr. Trump said on Twitter Thursday.
Mr. Jordan responded Thursday that he is more interested in delivering on the GOP’s repeated promise to fully repeal Obamacare and lower insurance premiums than he is in forecasting what is going to happen in future elections.
“Let’s just forget the blame and what may happen in the future, let’s just do what we said, and that is what the Freedom Caucus and that is what Republicans are committed to,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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