GOP Has Alternate Plan to Kill Health Care Bill

The vote Republicans take to repeal the health care law next week will be purely symbolic—there’s no way repeal would get through the Senate and White House—but Republicans have a Plan B. It's called choke off the money. Congressman Steve King is floating a rule that would bar any bill before the House appropriations panel from containing funds to implement or enforce the law, Mother Jones reports.

Yesterday, the committee’s chairman, Hal Rogers, said he “absolutely” supports the proposal, a declaration that could build momentum for it within the GOP. It’s particularly ironic, notes MJ, because Rogers requested a $1.5 million nursing health clinic grant from a program created by the health care law in August. Other Republicans say they'd rather block funding to select provisions of the bill. “I think this will be done not in a shotgun approach,” said Phil Gingrey. “I think it would be more a rifle attack.” (More health reform repeal stories.)