| By Jessie Hellmann
House Republicans are expected to mark up legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare in the coming week, as tensions over the issue build on both sides of the aisle.
While no formal announcements have been made, lobbying sources have told The Hill that markups are slated for March 8 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The move comes as Republicans struggle to bridge their disagreements on key components of the repeal and replace legislation, such as what should happen to the Medicaid expansion and what kind of tax credit should be offered.
Republican lawmakers are also criticizing their party leadership for not being transparent enough about the repeal and replace plan.
“We want to see the bill. We have many objections,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told a swarm of reporters Thursday as he tried to get into the room where he thought the bill was located.
“We’re here asking for a written copy of this because this should be an open and transparent process.”
Meanwhile, Democrats also complain that they are being kept in the dark about the legislation and fear they will not have enough chance to review it before a committee vote.
They also note that there have not been hearings about the plan, something that traditionally happens before legislation is marked up in committee.
Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, also said he doesn’t think a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the bill will be ready by the time of the markup.
That analysis shows how much the bill would cost and how many people could lose coverage. Without that analysis, lawmakers could be voting on a bill without crucial details about how it would work.
But despite divisions and concerns, Republicans may have no choice but to begin markups to meet Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) deadlines.
The Speaker has said he hopes to pass ObamaCare legislation and send it to the Senate by March.
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