Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said Sunday it wasn’t clear if the Republican leader would have the votes necessary to pass its healthcare reform bill by the end of the week and the leadership may have to extend the session into the Fourth of July recess to get the work done.
“I just don’t know whether the votes will be there at the end of the week,” Moran said in an interview on Fox on Sunday.
The response came after about the third time the question had been put to Moran on whether the leadersahip could get the bill through.
Five Republicans senators have said they would oppose the legislation to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. The legislation is certain to get no Democratic support. The GOP leadership must therefore work out deals with those five Republicans without losing any wavering measures to ensure the bill’s passage.
Moran said he believes in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s ability to form that coalition.
“This is still a work in progress, although the leader of the United States Senate is very good at establishing coalitions to make sure legislation passes,” Moran said.
Moran said he was among those who’s vote for support for his party leadership could not be taken for granted. He said he wanted to be certain that the eventual legislation did not end up punishing states such as his own that did not expaid Medicaid coverage.
“Those states that were expanded are insisting that they be protected (by the reform), at least for a period time ,for the costs from that expansion,” Moran said. “From a Kansas perspective… we want to make sure that we are not being penalized in this Senate bill for not doing so.”
