Late Monday night, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) was pronounced dead when Republicans failed to whip enough support to debate the bill, much less ensure its passage.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) announced Monday night their refusal to support the BCRA in its current form, joining Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in opposition.
Shortly after Sens Lee and Moran announced their dissent, President Trump renewed calls for full repeal of Obamacare:
Republican inability to come to a consensus on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare killed the House version of the bill, the American Healthcare Act (AHCA) before taking down the BCRA.
Rather than prolong the squabble, Senate Majority Leader McConnell issued a statement saying the Senate would vote on the clean repeal, the same repeal President Obama vetoed in 2015.
Sen. Sasse (R-NE) called for full Obamacare repeal while leaving the current law in place for a year, during which Congress would plot the course forward.
During the Obama presidency, Republicans were criticized for holding symbolic repeal votes, knowing their efforts would never amount to any actual progress or consequence. And now, Republicans have an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is.
Update (by WAJ) – Trump was on Twitter this morning – LET IT FAIL is Plan B:
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