House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview that he, along with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), remains “ready and able to stay in the fight on behalf of the forgotten man and woman.”
Reps. Meadows and Jordan will speak with Sarah Westwood of the Washington Examiner at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday to discuss the state of the Republican party.
Rep. Meadows told Breitbart News about what he intends to tell the CPAC crowd: “Under the Trump presidency we have a unique opportunity to actually roll back regulations, make the economy work, and more importantly make sure that the swamp does not consume Washington, DC. It’s all about staying engaged and making sure that all of the people that show up for CPAC make their voice heard, not once and not twice but certainly multiple times so that we can actually change Washington, DC, and return it to its rightful owner, which is we the people.”
Meadows added that he remains confident that Republicans will come out on top in the 2018 midterm elections.
The House Freedom Caucus Chairman continued, “The American people on our side. Washington, DC, is not on the side of mainstream and main street America. I can tell you that as long as people engage and not only let their representatives know how they feel but certainly hold them accountable when they vote the wrong way … I’m optimistic that even some members that are weak-kneed on conservative principles will stay true to their convictions, especially as we approach the midterm elections. I just returned from North Carolina where I have thousands of constituents that will tell you there’s not a blue wave there. It’s more optimism about how these tax cuts are affecting their paychecks and how they’re excited about their economic future.”
A new poll released this week revealed that a majority of Americans support President Donald Trump’s tax reform law.
“I think if you do what you told the American people what you said what you would do, it will bode well for the Republican party,” Meadows added.
Rep. Meadows then suggested that there remains an opportunity to enact pro-American immigration reform through the Goodlatte bill.
Meadows argued, “I think if there’s going to be a solution on the DACA issue, it’s going to have to come from the genesis of a piece of legislation that is either the Goodlatte bill or something very close to it. We can’t just look at an amnesty bill and then just suggest that we do an amnesty bill ten years from now and then another ten years from then. It is all about fixing the root problem. You will find a lot of members willing to fix it, but not if we’re addressing the problem and not fixing our borders.”
Chairman Meadows then revealed to Breitbart News that he, along with Freedom Caucus members and other Republicans, continues to work on legislation that would repeal Obamacare as well as lower premiums for all Americans.
Meadows told Breitbart News, “It did not get done in the two previous attempts, but hopefully the third time will be the charm. I can tell you a number of us have been working very intently behind the scenes to make sure that we not only repeal Obamacare but that we also, just as importantly, lower premiums and to make sure that pre-existing conditions are covered. If we can do those two things, whether it is Graham-Cassidy improved bill, or if it’s the Brady bill, or something worked on behind the scenes, we can get some results. I think that the American people will have to engage once again. Failure is not an option because insurance payments for health insurance many times are the largest or second largest expense that a family might face. We have to make sure that it is affordable once and for all and not pretend like it’s affordable for moms and dads that are affected most.”
Meadows charged, “There are a number of us that believe that in the next 90 days, we must require action to bring premiums down. I think you will see a flurry of legislative ideas that will try to do exactly that.”
Meadows continued, suggesting that Republicans will push to address the Obamacare employer mandate fine through the incoming omnibus spending bill.
Meadows said, “Additionally there is an omnibus coming up, and there are some ways to hopefully limit the financial ability of some of the agencies to impose penalties, i.e., some of the funding that would allow the IRS [Internal Revenue Service] to collect fees on the employer mandate and some of the other mandates they have used in such a fashion to keep Obamacare alive and well. I think you will see efforts redoubled to try to make sure we get premiums down.”
Ahead of his CPAC speech, Meadows said that Americans will look to focus on immigration, gun rights, as well as our right to privacy.
Meadows said, “I think a lot of them will look at the immigration issue, certainly our Second Amendment rights, but even our 4th Amendment rights, the right to privacy, to make sure that unlawful and illegal searches and seizures do not happen.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Meadows concluded, “I think you will see a number of those people coming tomorrow and what they’re going to hear from Jim Jordan and I is that we’re certainly willing, not only willing, but ready and able to stay in the fight on behalf of the forgotten man and woman.”
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