Senate’s Failure on Repeal Puts Push on Tax Overhaul — WashPost

Congressional Republicans have for years pushed to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare legislation. “We’re going to get it”.

Hours after the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a press conference “I hope we can work together” with GOP senators to improve the existing health care law.

Then, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska approached McCain.

“The Affordable Care Act has always been about something bigger than politics – it’s about the character of our country”, the spokesman, Kevin Lewis, said in a statement that NBC Politics tweeted out.

While viewed as the only bill that could possibly unite the GOP’s hard-line conservatives and pragmatic moderates, that final “skinny” bill faced strong resistance from all corners, similar to its beefier siblings.

McConnell released the long-awaited text of his so-called skinny repeal bill late Thursday, only a few hours before the pivotal vote.

But it’s important to understand just how close to disaster we came. Eliminating them would reduce tax revenues by almost $1 trillion over the next decade.

Democrats immediately called for a bipartisan debate on how to fix Obamacare. They will have a say in this.

Brady doesn’t offer specifics.

“It still keeps it in play”, said Sen.

Here’s a look at the five top moments on the Senate floor early Friday during a vote on a “skinny repeal” bill to scrap key components of Obamacare. But a president who once mocked McCain’s years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam did not have much sway with the senator when it counted.

And he concludes: “We can do this”. “We told our constituents we would vote that way and when the moment came, when the moment came, most of us did”.

The roll was called, and Collins and Murkowski both voted no. All those people benefiting from the health care law ― and their friends and families and allies in the progressive organizing community ― began speaking out.

“Today, it remains that way because of everyone who mobilized, organized and made their voices heard”, Lewis explained in the statement, according to NBC’s Twitter post.

“This is clearly a disappointing moment”, McConnell said, his voice cracking.

“If you passed it as a stand-alone proposition it would destroy the insurance markets and we would own the failure of Obamacare”, Graham added.

Ryan is pledging to pursue “historic tax reform” in the fall.

Lawmakers have agreed that they will need to return to Washington after Labor Day and make a push on the tax code, while many GOP agenda items have not yet been handled.

After failing to repeal or replace the ACA, Senate Republicans are slimming down their ambitions to target the one piece of the health law they loathe most, in what’s being called a “skinny repeal”.

“The very outdated filibuster rule must go”. Then on Wednesday, a straightforward repeal measure failed 55-45 with seven Republicans joining Democrats in voting “no”, even though almost identical legislation had passed Congress two years earlier.

“Have you decided how you’ll vote?” they asked.

The strategy of supporting the “skinny repeal” is not one a lot of Republicans want to get behind. They are hoping that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will outline this new proposal. Lindsey Graham said at a news conference, joined by McCain, Ron Johnson and Bill Cassidy.

This process has confirmed what many have long believed: the Republican Congress is so morally depraved, so voraciously focused on putting points on the board, so devoid of anything resembling empathy for those less fortunate, they are willing and able to pass laws that hurt or kill thousands upon thousands of Americans. Cornyn is the second-ranking Senate Republican, and Cruz overtly put himself in the middle of negotiations and fought to bring fellow conservatives into the fold. With Democrats unanimously opposed, McConnell could lose only two Republicans in the 52-48 Senate. “The buck stops there, that’s why you take on that kind of responsibility”, Brooks said Friday following the shocking vote.

Brooks also questioned whether McConnell can accomplish Trump’s other priorities, such as tax and infrastructure reform. “We’re not going to raise the white flag and surrender”, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk said after the meeting. But that ignored the complexity of the health care industry; powerful interest groups including hospitals, doctors, and insurers were alienated. Pursuing repeal through budget reconciliation, an arcane parliamentary tactic not even remotely designed for policy like this, means time is essentially up for the GOP.

“Last night’s vote is a slap in the face to the millions of pro-lifers who worked hard to elect a pro-life majority in the U.S. Senate”, she said. “I regret our efforts were simply not enough this time”. The vote was 49-51 with three Republicans joining all Democrats in voting ‘no’.

McConnell said: “It’s time to move on”. “Let Obamacare implode. I turned out to be right”.