Rest assured, Obamacare opponents: A group of Republican lawmakers meets every week to figure out how to get rid of President Barack Obama's signature health care law.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) revealed this fact on Wednesday, during a standing-room only event sponsored by the Republican Party of Harrison County in Marshall, Texas.
"Since May, there's been a group of senators and about 10 or 12 House members, we've been meeting once a week trying to figure out what's the strategy (to remedy the nation's current financial and healthcare woes) and (Senator) Mike Lee took the lead on the strategy, and the strategy is to fund every part of government including some things some of us don’t care to fund and completely defund Obamacare," he said, as reported by the Marshall News Messenger.
According to the paper, Gohmert "attributed the Affordable Care Act as the root of some of the nation's financial and healthcare issues."
When asked if Lee participates in these meetings, spokesman Brian Phillips replied, "He talks to other members all the time, but he hasn't attended regular meetings specifically about Obamacare."
Gohmert's office did not return a request for additional details.
As Gohmert mentioned, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has been trying to get GOP backing for a plan that would essentially shut down the government unless Obamacare is repealed. He wanted Republicans to refuse to pass a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government running beyond Sept. 30 if it includes funding for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
House Republican leadership is now looking at using the debt ceiling as a leverage point to defund Obamacare instead. So far, the House has held 40 votes to repeal Obamacare.
On Tuesday, Gohmert told a tea party audience in Texas that GOP leadership was "scared to death" of laying it on the line for Obamacare.
"They think if we have a shutdown, or a big showdown, we may lose the majority (party status in the House)," he said, "and they will lose their leadership positions.”
This article was updated to include comment from a spokesman for Sen. Mike Lee.
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