Senate Votes Down ‘Clean Repeal’ Bill
A bill that would just repeal of the Affordable Care Act was voted down by the U.S. Senate, 55 to 45, the New York Times reports.
“The vote underscored the bind that Republican leaders have found themselves in. Repealing the health law without an immediate replacement lacks crucial support among Republicans, but a more comprehensive measure that would have repealed major parts of the law with a ready replacement also came up short on Tuesday night.”
The New York Times has a good tally of the votes.
David Nather: “Leading conservative groups, including Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, are making today’s Senate vote on a straight repeal of the Affordable Care Act a ‘key vote’ — meaning they’ll use it in the 2018 election to evaluate senators’ voting records.”
Murkowski Unfazed by Trump Criticism
After President Trump tweeted that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) “really let the Republicans, and our country, down” by voting against the motion to proceed on health care legislation, the Alaska senator told NBC News, “I am in a position where I’m not looking to reelection until 2022.”
She added: “And quite honestly, I don’t think it’s wise to be operating on a daily basis thinking about what a statement or a response that causes you to be fearful of your electoral prospects.”
Price Says Senate Needs to Pass Whatever Gets 50 Votes
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told CNBC that Senate Republicans need to aim for the “lowest common denominator” to keep the Obamacare repeal and replacement drive alive.
Said Price: “What gets us to 50 votes so that we can move forward on a health-care reform legislation… that’s what needs to happen.”
Republicans Just Want to Pass Any Health Care Bill
James Hohmann: “It’s hard to overstate the degree to which White House officials and Senate GOP leaders just want to pass something — really, anything — to show the base that they are keeping their promise to roll back Obamacare. They would happily portray even most modest tweaks to the Affordable Care Act as major successes to save face. As far as they’re concerned, whatever gets passed will be the basis for negotiations with the House. So this is not even a final product.”
“Opening floor debate may be a Pyrrhic victory for the GOP: Democrats are going to force Republicans to cast some uncomfortable votes in the coming days as part of the freewheeling amendment process. Regardless of whether a bill ultimately passes, and how they try to spin it, every senator who voted for the motion to proceed just gave years of fodder to Democratic admakers. “
What Mike Lee Was Texting About Health Care
Politico: “On a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Washington on Monday afternoon, Lee sat in the middle seat, furiously texting about his latest thinking in the health care debate, according to an eyewitness who sat next to Lee.”
“In one text, Lee told a recipient that he might still vote to proceed to the repeal debate, but that it was ‘still too early to do so in good conscience because we’re not being told anything.'”
“‘This leadership line of pass something, anything, is dangerous and potent,’ Lee typed out in another message, written in a large enough font that fellow passengers could easily read his words, according to the eyewitness. In another text, Lee wrote: ‘This bill is nothing more than bailing out insurance companies with a few minor reforms thrown in for good measure.'”
Senate Votes Down Obamacare Replacement Bill
Caitlin Owens: “The Senate GOP’s Affordable Care Act replacement plan did a face plant on Tuesday night, with nine Republicans and all Democrats voting against it. But it was only the first vote of what’s sure to be a long process, and its failure wasn’t a surprise.”
“This was the Senate’s best attempt at an ACA replacement, after about two and a half months of closed-door meetings attempting to find something that could bridge the caucus’ deep divides.”
New York Times: “The Tuesday night tally needed to reach 60 votes to overcome a parliamentary objection. Instead, it fell 43-57. The fact that the comprehensive replacement plan came up well short of even 50 votes was an ominous sign for Republican leaders still grappling with a formula to pass final health care legislation later this week.”
McConnell Wins Vote to Proceed on Health Care Bill
The Senate voted to begin 20 hours of debate on a GOP health care bill, 50 to 50, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) were the only two Republicans to oppose the measure.
It’s still not clear what version of the health care bill will be brought up.
David Nather: “No one knows if any of the repeal proposals can pass the Senate — but it will be harder for Senate Republicans to give up and shelve the effort now that they’ve gotten this far.”
Health Care Confusion Won’t Help the GOP
Nate Silver: “In reading Heller’s statement for why he’d support for the motion to proceed — part of a series of shifting positions that Heller has taken on health care — I was struck by how confusing all of it must be to voters who aren’t following the debate very carefully.”
“In general, confusion is something you want to avoid with voters, especially on matters like health care where voters are inherently nervous about changes from the status quo. If the GOP considers some very severe bills — such as a full repeal of Obamacare — before eventually passing a more moderate one, voters will be further confused, especially given that many members of Congress will have indicated their support for one of the more severe bills at various points in the months-long debate. I wouldn’t expect Republicans to get all that much benefit of the doubt from voters, in other words, given how the process has gone down.”
What’s Likely to Happen with the Health Care Vote
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The Worst Social Policy in U.S. History?
Jonathan Chait: “There is probably no example in American history of Congress and a president attempting to pass major social legislation on this scale with such manifest disregard for its design and effect. It is the domestic equivalent of invading Iraq without a plan for the occupation.”
“A large part of the cause of disarray in the Republican plan is the fact that it is being passed through an abuse of the process.”
“Donald Trump is widely known for his ignorance of, and indifference to, policy substance, and for his simple desire for a ‘win.’ Traditional Republicans have quietly shifted the blame for their haphazard legislative record onto the president and his chaotic team of novices and hacks. But the shambolic rush through which Trumpcare may become law is a pure creation of Mitch McConnell and the institutional party.”
Senate Will Take First Vote Today on Health Care Bill
Sam Baker: “Stranger things have happened, but Sen. John McCain probably isn’t taking a break from his brain-cancer treatments to travel 2,300 miles across the country so he can torpedo a bill about an issue he’s never been especially invested in, which he could have torpedoed just as easily by staying in Arizona.”
“If McCain is a ‘yes’ on today’s motion to proceed — and, sure, take nothing for granted, but if — then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in a considerably better position.”
“Sen. Susan Collins is a ‘no.’ But it sounds like Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee will get their request to begin the voting with a modified version of the 2015 straight-repeal vote. If those two support the motion to proceed, it would take two more moderates to join Collins and prevent a vote-a-rama.”
David Nather: “It’s impossible to overstate how incredible this is: The Senate is planning to vote today to begin debate on a health care bill. No one knows which one — which means no one knows what it would do.”
Why McConnell Is Forcing a Health Care Vote
Said one GOP strategist to Playbook: “It has been abundantly clear that policy disagreements are not the ultimate barrier to moving forward. They’ve had months to work that out. There is a contingent of GOP senators who refuse to accommodate their concerns in negotiations in the hopes of avoiding a vote altogether. The only way to change that dynamic is to hold a vote that provides the opportunity to put every senator on record as to whether they are willing to debate Obamacare.”
“A yes vote brings an open amendment process where every senator will have the opportunity to amend, improve, and ultimately decide whether the final product is worthy of their support. Conversely, if some Republicans are more comfortable dealing President Trump a loss than debating Obamacare, this vote will provide the opportunity to make that clear to their constituents since most have represented otherwise for the past seven years.”
Boehner Says Republicans Won’t Repeal Obamacare
Former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told a business gathering last week that Republicans are “not going to repeal and replace Obamacare” because “the American people have gotten accustomed to it,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Boehner: “Here we are, seven months into this year, and yet they’ve not passed this bill. Now, they’re never — they’re not going to repeal and replace Obamacare. It’s been around too long. And the American people have gotten accustomed to it. Governors have gotten accustomed to this Medicaid expansion, and so trying to pull it back is really not going to work.”
McCain Will Return for Health Care Vote
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will return to the Senate on Tuesday after being diagnosed with brain cancer, giving the GOP push to repeal and replace Obamacare a boost of momentum, The Hill reports.
Republicans are expected to vote to take up the House-passed healthcare bill on Tuesday afternoon.
Trump Threatens to Dump Price If Health Bill Fails
President Trump threatened to fire Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price if Congress does not repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Daily Beast reports.
Said Trump at an event for Boy Scouts: “Are you gonna get the votes? He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better, otherwise I’ll say, ‘Tom, you’re fired.’ I’ll get somebody.”
Cornyn Floats Conference for Health Care Bills
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said the House and Senate might conference their Obamacare repeal-and-replace bills, The Hill reports.
Said Cornyn: “Initially there was some thought that maybe the House would take up the bill that we passed, but that may not be the case.”
“Cornyn’s first problem is getting an Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill through the Senate, something that seems increasingly unlikely.”
Republicans Try to Get McCain Back for Vote
“Senate Republicans are still hoping John McCain makes it to Tuesday’s crucial Obamacare repeal vote,” Politico reports.
“The absence of the Arizona senator, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last week, has made getting 50 votes to start debate on the bill exceedingly difficult. GOP leaders are hoping he can surprise everyone and return Tuesday.”
Said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): “They were trying to get approval [from his doctors] for his travel arrangements. I’ve personally volunteered to rent an RV. But we haven’t heard anything.”
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