Okay, folks. We’ve put together a preliminary list of where members of Congress stand on Paul Ryan’s plan to phase out Medicare and replace it with vouchers for private insurance. I want to stress this is a work in process. We have compiled this list with a mix of reports from TPM Readers and our own reporting staff on Capitol Hill.
We have found 11 Republicans who are willing to say they support the phase out plan. We have about 20 Reps and Senators who say they’re against it – all Democrats. The two categories I’m focused on are the “Wobblers” and “The Snow Job Caucus”. The first are people who say they oppose “privatization” but not necessarily Ryan’s Medicare Phase Out plan, which doesn’t really make sense. The “Snow Job Caucus” are people who are giving word salad answers intended to avoid telling anyone where they stand. Another thing to notice is just how many Democrats are listed under “We’ll Get Back To You!”, i.e., members of Congress who simply aren’t giving answers. You’d think Democrats could answer this question. But who knows?
Here’s our list. (Again, subject to on-going revision.)