“Enough of this haranguing about Obamacare”, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said. He tacitly acknowledged the high expectations of many conservative voters that Republicans aggressively challenge Obama, calling the pending legislation “a mortal blow to Obamacare”.
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According too The Hill, Senate Republicans feel confident that they have the 51 votes needed to repeal Obamacare, after attending a special meeting Monday night to discuss their strategy for passing it.
Again, there’s no chance the bill will become law, at least not before President Obama leaves office in January 2017. They are concerned that the bill leaves many subsidies, taxes, and the expansion of Medicaid in place. Senate Republican leaders are hoping to consider the Senate substitute amendment to the House-passed reconciliation bill, H.R. 3762, on December 2; however, the Senate Parliamentarian would first need to approve the changes to the bill to ensure they do not run afoul of the Byrd Rule, which prohibits “extraneous matter” from reconciliation bills.
The bill also contains a provision blocking federal reimbursements to Planned Parenthood, although the Senate could strip that part out. Debate over the Senate version of the bill is expected to begin Wednesday at the latest, the Washington Post reported. Any truly conspiracy-minded right-wing “outsider”, however, will understand that congressional Republicans got their act together to “repeal Obamacare” only in the sure knowledge they would be blocked by a presidential veto.So this gesture could prove to be empty politically as well as substantively. But Cornyn said the Senate bill was “bigger and better” than the House’s. Mark Kirk of IL, who faces re-election in 2016, and Susan Collins of ME, were concerned about the bill’s Planned Parenthood cuts. Mike Lee of Utah, said in a statement in October.
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On the other end of the party spectrum, moderates including Sens. Democrats have pushed this initiative even harder in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris last month.
