The White House says it is not giving up on repealing and replacing Obamacare after the Senate GOP’s healthcare bill suffered another setback Monday night.
“Insurance markets continue to collapse, premiums continue to rise, and Obamacare remains a failure,” a White House spokesman told the Washington Examiner. “Inaction is not an option. We look forward to Congress continuing to work toward a bill the president can sign to end the Obamacare nightmare and restore quality care at affordable prices.”
Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., jointly announced Monday night that they will oppose a vote to open debate on the Senate GOP’s healthcare bill, meaning Republicans currently do not have the votes to advance the legislation in its current form.
With Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, already coming out against advancing the healthcare bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., no longer has the votes he needs from at least 50 of 52 Republicans in the Senate.
The unexpected news comes as a group of senators and GOP Senate leadership were scheduled to meet Monday night at the White House with President Trump on a strategy session for getting the healthcare bill approved. Trump tweeted afterward that Republicans might need to repeal Obamacare first and replace it later.
