Koch-related groups pledge millions to help GOP lawmakers who reject health-care bill

File photo of Charles Koch. Billionaire and brother of David Koch File photo of Charles Koch. Billionaire and brother of David Koch Photo: Bo Rader /Associated Press Photo: Bo Rader /Associated Press Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Koch-related groups pledge millions to help GOP lawmakers who reject health-care bill 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, the two political action hubs of the Koch donor network, announced Wednesday night that they had a "seven-figure fund" ready to help Republicans who reject the American Health Care Act.

The fund will supplement an ongoing online campaign that's thanking lawmakers who've promised to oppose the bill, which they say retains too many elements of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

"In seven years, we have never wavered in our commitment to a full repeal of this disastrous law," AFP President Tim Phillips said in a statement. "We want to make certain that lawmakers understand the policy consequences of voting for a law that keeps Obamacare intact. We have a history of following up and holding politicians accountable, but we will also be there to support and thank the champions who stand strong and keep their promise."

Phillips was one of six conservative leaders summoned to the White House on March 10, as the Trump administration sought advice on what could get the AHCA through the House. He was joined by the leaders of FreedomWorks, the Tea Party Patriots, the Club for Growth, the Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America. Since then, each group has remained opposed to the bill, and AFP spokesman Levi Russell said that a late-breaking move to strip the Affordable Care Act's Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) from the replacement bill was unlikely to sway them.

"I don't see that changing our position," Russell said. "We've been upfront and clear with what a repeal should look like, and outlined the 4 primary concerns in this doc. This is actually one of the leave-behinds we've been sharing with lawmakers for a while now. Positive action on EHBs is the right direction, but would still fall short of actually repealing Obamacare."

The seven-figure fund, which made headlines Wednesday night, is actually dwarfed by the money a pro-AHCA group has spent to shore up "yes" votes. The American Action Network, a 501(c)4 that backs GOP leaders in the House, has spent more than $10 million on TV ads, mailers and billboards echoing the party's messaging, portraying the AHCA as a conservative "patient-centered" bill that will fulfill 2016 campaign promises.

But those ads have had little apparent effect. Polling has found the AHCA to be even less popular than the ACA when it was passed, and some of the AAN's ads tell voters to thank members of Congress who have since come out against the bill, such as Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa.

In the meantime, the Club for Growth has been on the air in swing seats, urging even moderate members to reject what it calls "Ryancare," after House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.