Republicans still can’t get their act together on Obamacare repeal, but, they’re moving forward nonetheless.
Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader McConnell announced plans to move the Graham-Cassidy bill to the floor for debate next week.
Do they have the votes to open up debate on this bill? Your guess is as good as ours. Unlike previous last minute clusters, McConnell said they’ll only bring the bill to the floor if he knows he has the votes to proceed.
From Politico:
The Senate will vote next week on the latest bill to repeal Obamacare — but the outcome is anything but certain.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to put a bill written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to a vote, hoping that a looming Sept. 30 deadline to pass the bill with just 50 votes will create enough pressure to finally pass a repeal of the health care law, his office said.”It is the leader’s intention to consider Graham/Cassidy on the floor next week,” a spokeswoman said.McConnell has told colleagues he will only bring up the bill if it will succeed. The statement does leave some wiggle room to not proceed with a vote.It’s still anyone’s guess whether the bill’s backers can get to 50 votes. One Republican senator suggested that McConnell may ultimately decide to bring the bill up for another failed vote, in part to show GOP donors and President Donald Trump that the Senate GOP tried again.Trump himself joined the ongoing debate Wednesday night, tweeting that Graham-Cassidy was a “great Bill.””I would not sign Graham-Cassidy if it did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. It does!” Trump tweeted, alluding to recent attacks on the bill that it won’t protect patients with congenital or pre-existing illnesses.
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