Home > Article
VOL. 41 | NO. 28 | Friday, July 14, 2017
McConnell moving on to repeal of Obama law
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will soon vote on a fresh bill repealing much of President Barack Obama's health care law.
The Kentucky Republican is conceding that his party's prized legislation erasing big chunks of the 2010 statute and replacing it with GOP-favored programs won't succeed. He spoke Tuesday, the morning after the GOP bill collapsed under opposition from Republican senators.
McConnell says his chamber will vote in coming days on legislation dismantling much of Obama's law that would take effect in two years. He says that would give lawmakers time to craft a replacement.
The prospects for that bill seem doubtful. Democrats oppose it and many Republicans agree, worrying that a two-year gap would roil insurance markets and be politically damaging to the GOP.
Speaker Paul Ryan says he would like to see the Senate "move on something" after the collapse of GOP plan to repeal and replace the health care law.
Ryan told reporters on Tuesday that the House is proud of the bill they passed in early May and is waiting to see what Senate can do.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, faced with defeat on his repeal and replace plan, is pushing ahead with a repeal and delay effort but faces uncertainty in getting that done.
Ryan said he was "worried Obamacare will stand" and repeated that the law is failing.
Ryan said, "We'd like to see the Senate move on something ... We've got a promise to keep."