Though a member of the 13-senator working group McConnell had tasked with piecing legislation together, Lee said he’s not seen the emerging bill and “whole-heartedly” shares the frustration of constituents unhappy over the secrecy.
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The actual bill is being written by McConnell and his staff. And Alaska moderate Lisa Murkowski said she didn’t know how she’d vote, adding, “I have no idea what the deal is”. Still, he’s “sure the Russians” probably have taken a look at it. The number one issue dogging the GOP since Trump’s inauguration approximately five months ago, has been the Russian Federation story. Enough of them have voiced concerns to leave the bill’s fate uncertain. “We’re united in our belief that the American people deserve better than Obamacare’s unsustainable status quo”. We’ve had many productive discussions on the way forward.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans are angling toward a Senate vote next week on their marquee effort to erase much of President Barack Obama’s health care law.
“At some point, we’re going to get health care reform”, he said.
Though McConnell did not schedule the vote for next week, some Republicans said they believed he would hold it either way.
Cohn said the administration doesn’t want to engage in prolonged negotiations after the package is made public this fall. “There’s no way for anyone to know what we have until we have language”. “Right now, the current draft doesn’t do almost enough in that regard”, he said.
Asked about what their target is Tuesday, South Dakota Sen. Once a highly sought-after vote when Democrats approved Obamacare, she ultimately joined all Republicans in opposing it.
“Didn’t seem like it to me”, Hatch responded, with a chuckle. And the answer is very simple.
The Hill reported that the additional funding for opioid programs that GOP senators were considering as a way of blunting the bill’s Medicaid cuts was likely to be axed. Some conservatives, meanwhile, are seeking to slow the growth of Medicaid’s costs.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the majority whip, also said a Congressional Budget Office score could come as soon as Friday, though other GOP lawmakers said it might not be ready until Monday.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Sen. Susan Collins of ME, the most moderate senator in the G.O.P., is expected to be one of them.
“How will your bill have more ‘heart, ‘ as the president puts it, than the House version?” Paul said he won’t know how he will vote until the bill is released to legislators later this week. Democrats have even suggested a scenario in which Senate debate begins on a preliminary version of the GOP measure and McConnell offers the final package as a late amendment, giving Democrats little or no time to criticize it.
The Senate text of the AHCA is scheduled to be released Thursday, just one week before Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) is planning to force a floor vote. “When a bill goes to the floor it’s amendable”.
A source stated to TPM, that, in lieu of debating the bill in public, Senate Democrats would be using their platforms to talk on some of the key objections attached to the bill.
Cruz dismissed the Democrats’ criticism as unfounded.
Murray likewise issued a compelling plea for her GOP colleagues “to bring this process out from the shadows”. On Tuesday, they invoked a rule to block any committee hearings from taking place that afternoon to draw attention to their opposition to the health care bill.
Unlike the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the House bill provides for a premium rate structure based on age rather than income.
Heinrich said the House bill would repeal the “cost-free preventative care requirements for the Medicaid expansion population”. “It’s like we’re talking to a black box”. The bill stinks. They’re ashamed of it.
“There’s been all this talk about having hearings”, Sen.
In a video he posted Tuesday afternoon on Facebook, Sen.
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Three GOP senators involved in a working group on health care say they still haven’t see the Obamacare replacement bill making its debut later this week. “I think we could start over”, he said. “But we should be able to see it first”.
