The votes require lawmakers to take a clear stance on issues that are very divisive in American politics, and will likely be used on the 2016 campaign trail as Democrats fight to regain control of the Senate from Republicans.
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The one absentee was Sen. President Barack Obama has vowed to veto it, and US Republicans don’t have the votes necessary to override a veto. The Senate and the House must soon approve identical bills before they can get to the president’s desk.
Instead, McConnell leaned on Cruz, Rubio and Lee to vote yes and sweetened the prospect by crafting an amendment that dramatically beefed up the Senate package.
Similarly, Portman spokeswoman Caitlin Conant said Portman is “pleased” to support a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood and redirects its millions of patients to community health centers.
The effort started way back in January 2011, with a bill titled “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act”, to repeal all of the ACA.
Congress has voted dozens of times to repeal or weaken the health law and repeatedly against Planned Parenthood’s funding. Cornyn said on the floor the delay was the best way to prevent people with bad intentions from getting a weapon without restricting Second Amendment rights.
Republicans had previously failed to push such legislation through the Senate. “Do they meet with them?”
Almost all Senate Republicans voted to defund the organization as part of one of their plan to repeal President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
The legislation would repeal major parts of the president’s signature policy achievement, including the individual and employer mandates and Medicaid expansion, which would be aborted after a two-year delay.
That was created to win backing of Republican Sens.
The Senate bill would repeal taxes on medical devices and funding for subsidies that help consumers buy insurance, among other provisions.
Early opposition also came from Republican presidential hopefuls Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – pushed an amendment to restore Planned Parenthood funding, saying they feared that women who rely on the organization for non-abortion services would lose the health care provider of their choice. The measure lost by three votes, 48-52. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. voted with Democrats.
Most of the vulnerable Republican senators didn’t shy from the vote – and even promoted their support. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) – voted for expanded background checks.
The Senate bill also repeals the over-the-counter medicine tax, the prescription drug tax, an annual fee on health insurers and the tax on indoor tanning services.
In the Senate, Democrats and several liberal Republicans tried but failed to gut the language that defunds Planned Parenthood from the bill.
“What’s with you guys?” said Sen.
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“We will win”, she said. “That is a promise”.
