With No Votes To Spare, Two More Republican Defections Effectively Kill Senate Health Bill
Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) say they can't vote for the legislation. “We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy,” Moran wrote on Twitter. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the next steps are to vote on the House bill with an amendment to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The New York Times:
Health Care Overhaul Collapses As Two Republican Senators Defect
Two more Republican senators declared on Monday night that they would oppose the Senate Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, killing, for now, a seven-year-old promise to overturn President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. (Kaplan, 7/17)
The Washington Post:
Two More Senate Republicans Oppose Health-Care Bill, Leaving It Without Enough Votes To Pass
Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) issued statements declaring that they would not vote for the revamped measure. The sudden breaks by Lee, a staunch conservative, and Moran, an ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), rocked the GOP leadership and effectively closed what already had been an increasingly narrow path to passage for the bill. They joined Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine), who also oppose it. With just 52 seats, Republicans can afford to lose only two votes to pass their proposed rewrite of the Affordable Care Act. All 46 Democrats and two independents are expected to vote against it. (Sullivan and Bernstein, 7/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Two More GOP Senators Oppose Health-Care Bill
“In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle-class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations,” Mr. Lee, one of the Senate’s most conservative Republicans, said in a statement Monday night. (Peterson and Armour, 7/17)
USA Today:
Senate To Take Up Bill To Repeal Obamacare Without Replacement Plan
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Monday that the Senate will give up on its bill to replace Obamacare and vote instead on legislation to repeal the law within two years. (Singer, 7/17)
The Associated Press:
Trump Blasts Congress Over Failure Of GOP Health Care Bill
President Donald Trump blasted congressional Democrats and “a few Republicans” Tuesday over the failure of the GOP effort to rewrite the Obama health care law, and warned, “we will return.” Trump’s early morning tweet unleashed a barrage of criticism at Congress over the collapse of the GOP’s flagship legislative priority. For seven years, the party has pledged to repeal President Barack Obama’s law. “Most Republicans were loyal, terrific & worked really hard,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, but said, “We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans.” (Fram and Werner, 7/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Two More Republican Senators Announce Opposition To Healthcare Bill, Dooming Latest GOP Plan
In a tweet Monday, President Trump voiced support for repeal only: “Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!” (Mascaro, 7/17)
Politico:
Trump Blindsided By Implosion Of GOP Health Care Bill
President Trump convened a strategy session over steak and succotash at the White House with senators Monday night, trying to plot an uphill path to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a GOP alternative. ...
Meanwhile, two senators – neither invited to the dinner – were simultaneously drafting statements saying how they couldn’t support the current bill, which they released just after Trump’s White House meal concluded. (Dawsey, 7/18)
The Washington Post:
What Mitch McConnell Is Doing Next On Health Care, Explained
For Mitch McConnell, Monday night was as embarrassing a blow as they come for a Senate majority leader. Two more Republican senators came out against his bill to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, effectively dooming the latest version. That forced the Kentucky Republican to confront a difficult question with no good options: What now? (Sullivan, 7/18)
The New York Times:
Old Truth Trips Up G.O.P. On Health Law: A Benefit Is Hard To Retract
In the end, Republicans relearned a lesson that has bedeviled them since the New Deal: An American entitlement, once established, can almost never be retracted. Since the day the Affordable Care Act passed Congress, Republicans have vowed to overturn it. In the beginning, many voters were with them, handing the Republican Party some of the tools: a sweeping rejection of House Democrats in 2010 — a rejection of government reach — followed by the Senate in 2014. (Steinhauer, 7/17)