President Donald Trump tried to drop the hammer Wednesday on holdout Senate Republicans who are blocking plans to repeal Obamacare, while impatient conservative activists mulled funding primary challenges.

Trump met with Republican senators at the White House two days after the latest effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act fell apart. He urged lawmakers to work through the August recess, if necessary.

“We’re close,” Trump said. “I think we’re a lot closer than people understand. We have to pull it through. So important.”

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The president mixed humor with an edgy undercurrent of seriousness, referring to his surprise that his friends, who “might not be very much longer,” came out against a plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He took a jab at Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who has not taken a position on the bill but who has expressed concerns and likely faces a tough re-election battle in purple Nevada next year.

“You didn’t go out there,” Trump said, turning to Heller, seated next to him. “This was the one we were worried about … Look, he wants to remain a senator, doesn’t he?”

Trump said any senator who votes against beginning debate is endorsing the status quo. He insinuated that he would support cutting off federal funds to insurance companies to help low-income customers pay out-of-pocket expenses. A federal judge ruled last year that Congress never authorized the payments, although they have continued while the judgment is under appeal.

Trump spoke with more specificity than is typical, promising that reforms would cut premiums by 60 percent to 70 percent. He argued in favor of putting Medicaid on a more sustainable path and expanding tax-sheltered health savings accounts. He said health reform should include repealing Obamacare taxes and regulations, as well as ending mandates that people buy insurance and that larger employers provide it.

McConnell Renews Pledge to Hold Vote
After the White House lunch, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reiterated his commitment to holding a vote next week to start debate on an Obamacare repeal, even though a majority of senators have come out against it. He said Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price would travel to Capitol Hill Wednesday night to help Republican senators “get to ‘yes.'”

McConnell stressed that a “yes” vote would only open debate, during which any senator could offer amendments. A final vote on the bill would come later.

“We cannot keep our commitment we made to the American people to repeal and replace Obamacare unless we get on the bill. So next week, we’ll be voting to get on the bill.”

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“We cannot keep our commitment we made to the American people to repeal and replace Obamacare unless we get on the bill,” he said. “So next week, we’ll be voting to get on the bill.”

McConnell said it would be better to pass a replacement at the same time the Senate repealed the current law. But he said it also is an option to repeal Obamacare and delay it from taking effect for two years.

This week, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said they would not vote for a repeal-and-delay bill nearly identical to one that they supported in 2015. They joined Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in opposition. In addition, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) suggested Tuesday he was unlikely to support repeal without a replacement in hand.

Politico reported Wednesday that Texas businessman Doug Deason and other major GOP donors were mulling spending big bucks to support primary challenges for Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who is up for re-election next year, as well as Collins and Capito, who will not yet be on the ballot.

Conservative activists on a conference call Wednesday said that their focus is trying to persuade recalcitrant senators to support repeal and then hold them accountable if they do not.

“The solution is good, conservative candidates in primaries,” said Ken Cuccinelli, president of the Senate Conservatives Fund.

Cuccinelli declined to name names but said his group is looking for viable challengers to incumbents.

“We will be targeting the areas, the states with Obamacare Republicans as they show themselves, for challengers,” he said. “I have no worries that people going to forget this vote.”

Politics Can Work for Republicans
David McIntosh, the president of Club for Growth, said that polling his group has conducted in two states where Republicans are considering challenging incumbent Democrats indicates that 60 percent of respondents have a negative view of blocking a vote on repealing Obamacare.

“The politics of this works for the Republican Party if they can get the job done,” he said.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said failure to act would be politically devastating.

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“If the Republicans cannot repeal Obamacare now, they’re gonna need to call hospice, because their majority is not long for this world,” he said. “While there may be a few members who are blocking this, all of the members will suffer.”

Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, pointed to the years’ worth of speeches, campaign statements, radio and TV ads, press releases, and social media posts from Republican candidates.

“My guess is Republicans in Congress have pledged to repeal Obamacare well over a million times,” he said.

Jason Pye, vice president of legislative affairs at FreedomWorks, said his group is encouraging its members to call senators who have opposed repealing Obamacare.

“We’ve seen the members of the Senate traitors caucus reveal themselves,” he said.