McConnell Scrambles to Bring Health Bill to Senate Floor

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his team “are working furiously to round up 50 of the caucus’s 52 senators to even bring the bill to the floor, let alone pass it by week’s end,” Politico reports.

“GOP leaders said ultimately that even lawmakers that oppose the bill in its current form could be convinced to allow the debate over the party’s long-sought Obamacare rollback to begin.”

David Nather: “Unless McConnell can change some of his members’ minds pretty quickly, it’s looking like he might not have the 50 votes he’d need for a procedural motion that would bring his health care bill to the floor. The CBO’s estimate that 22 million more people would be uninsured under the Senate bill was a steep — and maybe fatal — setback.”

Playbook: “Forget passage for the moment. Republicans have not yet secured the votes to begin work on the bill. It’ll be a crazy week. And make no mistake: Republicans might not be able to repeal and replace Obamacare. The situation is that dire for them.”

For members: McConnell Has Three Options