Trump’s First 100 days: Ohio Republicans’ town halls and Boehner casts doubt on Repeal and Replace
By the numbers:
- Votes needed by candidates to be named new DNC chair this Saturday: 447
- Public money spent by State Treasurer Josh Mandel on TV ads for treasury marketing: $1.84 million
- Favorability rating of Obamacare: 45 percent
Some Ohio Republicans dodge constituents while others face them head-on
During their week away from the Capitol, some of Ohio’s Republican House members are under fire for not meeting with constituents. Notably, Rep. Jim Renacci caught heat from Progress Ohio, which scheduled a town hall event titled “Renacci is Missing.” Ironically, the event was held in Canton just outside the 16th District —which Renacci represents.According to The Plain Dealer, Renacci ran his initial 2010 campaign with a message that Democratic incumbent Rep. John Boccieri skipped out on his own town halls. Earlier this month, Renacci posted a photo to his Facebook page touting a town hall he had with constituents, but the comments section featured constituents angry they didn’t have the information about the event. Other Republicans in the state are much more open to meeting with their constituents, The Plain Dealer created a list showing how elected officials on both sides are connecting with constituents. Rep. Jim Jordan seems to be embracing this national trend and actively embracing constituents coming to discuss issues with him. Jordan tweeted a picture of him with constituents, one of them holding a sign saying “You work for me! Do your job! Keep my ACA intact.” Jordan tweeted back: https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/833737984537198593
Former Speaker Boehner casts doubt on Republican’s repeal and replace effort
Former Speaker of the House and Ohio Representative John Boehner cast doubt on the Affordable Care Act repeal efforts at a health care conference in Florida. Boehner told attendees at the conference: “...pass repeal without replace, you’ll never pass replace because they will never ever agree on what the bill should be."Boehner’s comments shed more light on a Republican Congress that isn’t quite sure of how to proceed in its strategy of repealing and replacing Obamacare. Today, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told lawmakers in her home state that she would not vote to repeal Medicaid before consulting Alaskans. Murkowski went on to discuss the benefits of the Medicaid expansion for Alaska’s Native health care system.