Donald Trump vowed as a candidate to kill Obamacare in short order. But more than two weeks into his presidency, some Republicans are starting to ask: What happened to repealing the law quickly?
The sentiment is beginning to simmer within the influential conservative wing of the Republican Party and hints at what could be the opening of an intra-party rift as the GOP’s mission to overhaul the country’s health care system appears to be losing steam.
In one faction are lawmakers increasingly wary of the pitfalls of a quick and sweeping repeal of the Affordable Care Act. In recent days, top congressional Republicans who are most intimately involved in health care policy have urged moderation: Fearing the consequences of a rapid repeal, they have begun to speak of “repairing” the law and even preserving aspects of it that are working.
That shift in tone has irked other Republicans who are eager to take a swift vote to roll back as much of Obamacare as possible. Their fear: their conservative constituents back home won’t settle for anything else.
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