Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on Republican lawmakers Thursday to stop acting like they are still the minority party and to shift into “governing mode” as GOP leadership continues to urge support for their Obamacare replacement package amid sharp pushback from conservative members.
McConnell pointed out that a large number of Republicans in the Senate and House served only under the Obama administration prior to President Trump’s election in November and added that many of their tactics then will not be as effective now, including “sparring” and holding press conferences. He added that Republicans are “in the outcome business now.”
McConnell’s comments came during a Politico Playbook breakfast Thursday morning.
“I think half of my members have not served under a Republican president. Over half of the House Republicans have not served under a Republican president. When you have a president of a different party, you can freelance all you want to,” McConnell said. “Go have press conferences, you guys show up with your 10-point plan if you want to.
“But now we have an actual chance to change the country. We have somebody who will sign legislation that we pass. We need to get into a governing mode and start thinking about actually achieving something rather than just kind of sparring and having press conferences, which you all love, but doesn’t necessarily lead to an outcome,” he said. “We’re in the outcome business now.”
The comments come amid sharp opposition to the American Health Care Act, which was released Monday and is backed by both Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Many members on the Right, especially within the House Freedom Caucus, have referred to the legislation as “Obamacare lite” or “Obamacare 2.0,” drawing the ire of the White House and Republican leadership.
The longtime Kentucky Republican also said more conservative members will be able to have their say and added that the current bill is not set in stone and will likely be revised.
