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Republicans primed for push to dismantle Obama’s policies

Posted at 7:39 AM, Jan 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-03 07:39:43-05

WASHINGTON (AP) — An aggressive campaign by Republicans to dismantle eight years of President Barack Obama’s Democratic policies is ready for launch.

Members of the 115th Congress will be sworn in at noon today, setting off the GOP’s pursuit of a conservative agenda.

One of the most immediate targets is Obama’s health care law. Republicans have long sought to gut the statute and have blamed the law as a primary cause for a lackluster economic recovery.

But decades-old programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, also will be in the crosshairs as Republicans aim to shrink both the size of the federal budget and the bureaucracy in Washington.

Democrats will try to block the GOP’s agenda by swaying public opinion and using the power they have in the Senate to filibuster legislation.