Republicans are gearing up to battle against Obamacare once Congress reconvenes with a GOP majority in January, and they may be using an obscure budget tool called "reconciliation" to make their discontent known.
The rarely used tool would allow Senate Republicans to pass a repeal measure with 51 votes, instead of the normally required 60, reported The Hill.
President Obama would then have the option to veto the legislation once it arrived at his desk, which he would almost certainly do. For the GOP, it's all about sending a strong message to the American public leading up to the 2016 elections, a message that will be especially apparent when accompanied by the coinciding public relations efforts crafted by Republicans, noted The Washington Times.
Republicans hope to starkly contrast themselves from their Democratic counterparts at a time when voters are considering their next presidential selection, and if the GOP can use the reconciliation tool to portray themselves as the good guys as opposed to a villainous Obama, they might get one up on the Democrats.
When it comes to smaller portions of Obamacare - like restoring the 40-hour workweek and repealing the medical device tax - the budget tool might not even have to be used because there already appears to be bipartisan support to undo them, according to The Hill.
As for legislation on taxes and energy, some believe it's better to avoid reconciliation and try to get the necessary 60 votes, because "it means it's more durable," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office and leader of conservative think tank American Action Forum, The Hill reported.
Republicans will hold 54 seats in January, meaning that at least six Democrats will have to vote in favor to reach the 60.
"When you've done the work of getting the minority to sign on, it makes it much more likely the White House signs it," said Holtz-Eakin.
One Senate Republican aide commented, "If you're looking to get an outcome, which we are on energy and tax reform, using reconciliation won't get you any Democrat votes for that."
Others, like Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have signaled that they are open to using the reconciliation tool to enact tax reform.
But no decisions have been made as of yet, and a strategy is likely to come into full fruition in mid-January during a joint House and Senate retreat in Hershey, Pa., where they will map out their 2015 agenda.
"I think the conference has to decide, and will decide, whether or not the tools ought to be used for things that we know will provide a contrast with the president, that we know the president will not support," Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., told reporters at the end of the legislative session, reported The Hill. "Or things that will get us to do a true change in public policy with his signature."
