The billionaire Koch brothers are used to being pandered to by establishment politicians who depend on their donations for reelection.
But President Donald Trump isn’t beholden to their donor network — so they’ve got him in their sites. The Koch brothers are promising to spend millions of dollars to defeat the healthcare overhaul backed by Trump and his political allies.
The network’s leading organizations, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, announced late Wednesday the creation of a special fund to support establishment politicians who vote against the healthcare bill.
The announcement, which comes on the eve of the House vote, marks the influential conservative network’s most aggressive move against Trump, who is under attack from both the right and the left.
“The bill as it stands today is Obamacare 2.0,” said James Davis, executive vice president of Freedom Partners, in a statement announcing the new fund. He added, “We will stand with lawmakers who keep their promise and oppose this legislation — and work toward a solution that reduces costs and provides Americans with the relief they need and deserve.”
The organizations backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch declared their formal opposition to the Trump-backed healthcare proposal Monday.
Moderate Republicans are concerned by projections of 24 million Americans losing coverage in a decade and higher out-of-pocket costs for many low-income and older people.
The Koch-backed fund is being described as “seven figures” and will go toward political ads, direct mail and other grassroots activity.
“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,” Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.