Lawmakers brace for health law issues during August recess

Aug 14 2013

With the overhaul continuing to be a divisive issue, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle -- as well as the measure's advocates and opponents -- have put in place messages and plans to keep their arguments strong.

The New York Times: A Former Engine Of The G.O.P., The Town Hall Meeting, Cools Down
Many lawmakers, often from safe districts, are still holding town halls throughout the month. While a number of them are drawing voters outraged over Mr. Obama's health care law, the intensity is nothing compared to the scale of 2009. But where there are no gatherings, some groups have decided to take matters into their own hands. After seeing a paltry schedule of Congressional town hall meetings this month, another major conservative group, Heritage Action for America, decided it would stage public forums of its own from Arkansas to Pennsylvania. The aim is to recruit people for a group it calls the Sentinels, a citizens' brigade of sorts, to reach lawmakers through other means, like writing letters to the editor, dialing in to talk-radio programs and mastering the language of Twitter and Facebook (Peters, 8/12).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: As Lawmakers Roam Their Home Territory, Health Law Arguments Simmer
The battle over the Affordable Care Act shows absolutely no signs of abating, so it's no surprise that the packets distributed by both parties on Capitol Hill for members heading home for the August recess paint the 2010 health care law in starkly different ways (Carey, 8/13).

Meanwhile, a radio debate showcases the GOP's intra-party schism --

Politico: Karl Rove, Mike Lee Spar On Obamacare
The war over the GOP's strategy to fight Obamacare spilled onto the radio waves Monday as Karl Rove went toe-to-toe with Utah Sen. Mike Lee for an hour on Sean Hannity's radio show. The two men represent the gaping chasm between two wings of the Republican Party on the fall spending strategy. The Utah senator and other conservatives in the House and Senate are vowing to oppose fall spending bills that contain funding for the health care law (Everett, 8/12).