The day after a group of rebellious House Republicans met with Sen. Ted Cruz in the basement of a Capitol Hill restaurant, lawmakers were cagey about what exactly they discussed. A number of lawmakers confirmed they participated in the dinner meeting with the Texas GOP senator at Tortilla Coast late Monday night, but they declined to offer details. “Just talking what we do when the Senate passes something, what’s our strategy going forward with that,” Marlin Stutzman of Indiana said. He added that he was willing to see what the House and Senate could come up with, “but, you know, I know that it’s not enough for me.” Asked if they were plotting a revolt over a dish of guacamole, most members laughed off the question. “I don’t know. I don’t know if they got it in there,” Louie Gohmert of Texas said as he entered Tuesday's GOP Conference meeting. “That’s quite a question this morning,” said Steve King of Iowa. Raúl R. Labrador of Idaho said he wanted to hear what GOP leaders had to say before he could answer that. What leadership had to say was unexpected, however. They told members that they would attempt to send the Senate a proposal that would suspend the Obamacare medical device tax for two years and eliminate health care benefits for lawmakers and Cabinet officials, though not congressional staff. The bill would not include a provision to eliminate an Obamacare fee on reinsuring health plans. That provision was under consideration as part of a still emerging Senate bipartisan plan. (more…)
