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Boehner Lays Out ‘Targeted Strikes’ Strategy on Obamacare

Speaker John A. Boehner has a scheme to end Obamacare — and it doesn’t yet involve a government shutdown.

In a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting on Wednesday morning, the Ohio Republican laid out a strategy of “targeted strikes” on Obamacare, running in direct contrast with the tactic of defunding the health care law in a continuing resolution that some conservatives are pushing for but others dismiss  as a pipe dream.

According to a source in the room, Boehner advocated for a strategy of picking apart the health care law piece by piece.

“We should view the delay votes this month as the opening salvo in a series of well-placed, targeted strikes that will ultimately dissolve the Obamacare coalition and topple this train wreck of a law,” Boehner said, according to the source.

Calling it “our best shot at actually getting rid of Obamacare,” the Ohio Republican’s gambit falls well shy of the approach outside groups such as Heritage Action for America are advocating. They want Republicans to vow to vote against any CR that funds Obamacare.

Although Boehner offered up a piecemeal strategy, he twice refused to rule out threatening a government shutdown over Obamacare in a news conference with reporters.

“No decisions have been made on the CR,” he said.

But the speaker has never been enamored of threats to shut down the government over Obamacare, and many of his allies have spoken out sharply in recent days against the idea.

According to a slide Boehner used in the closed-door meeting, titled “The Strategy,” the House will vote to:

  • “Get the IRS out of Obamacare”
  • “Protect taxpayers, require verification for subsidies”
  • “Stop IPAB, the Obamacare health care rationing board”
  • “Get rid of the implementation slush funds”
  • “Continue to take targeted, regular votes throughout fall”

According to the source in the room, Boehner said executing this strategy would not mean Republicans can’t do other things on Obamacare as well.

“This is designed to be a strategy we can build on,” he reportedly said.

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