GOP Senators Going Home A Fractious Party With No Path Forward On Health Care
Many had hoped they would be leaving for recess with repeal under their belts. Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch announces that his committee will start holding health care hearings when lawmakers return in September.
Politico:
Republicans Leave Town With No Clear Path On Obamacare
Republicans are leaving Washington Thursday for a month of recess with no clear direction on what they’ll do next on Obamacare. Senate leaders want to just drop the issue altogether. Conservatives say they’re still fighting for repeal. Moderates want to launch a bipartisan effort to fix the shaky Obamacare system. The reality is that, after seven years of unity on repealing Obamacare, Republicans are rudderless on how to talk about or address the defining domestic policy issue of nearly the past decade for their party, and they have no clear plans despite holding all the levers of power in Washington. Now, they face a month away from the Capitol, answering to their home-state voters about their lack of progress. (Haberkorn and Demko, 8/3)
The Hill:
Finance Committee Announces Healthcare Hearing In September
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced Thursday that the panel will hold a healthcare hearing in September, in the wake of a failed vote on repeal of ObamaCare. The hearing will be a chance for members of both parties to discuss the healthcare law, and it comes amid calls for a return to regular order and the committee process. (Sullivan, 8/3)