GOP signals Wisconsin will stay in Obamacare lawsuit

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — One of the top officials on the state Legislature’s budget-writing committee is signaling Republicans won’t let Attorney General Josh Kaul pull Wisconsin out of a multistate lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.

Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers, both Democrats, campaigned on pulling Wisconsin out of the lawsuit. Republican lawmakers passed lame-duck legislation in December that prohibits Evers from ordering Kaul to withdraw from lawsuits without permission from the Joint Finance Committee. Kaul asked the panel last month for permission to pull out.

Republican Rep. John Nygren and Sen. Alberta Darling serve as the co-chairs of the budget committee. Darling said Senate Republicans haven’t discussed Kaul’s request yet. Nygren said Assembly Republicans also haven’t discussed the request yet, either.

But Nygren said Republicans still fundamentally oppose the Affordable Care Act, signaling the committee will most likely refuse the request.