The Senate narrowly rejected Democrats’ attempts to force Republicans to get 60 votes to repeal Obamacare rather than a simple majority.
The Senate voted 52-48 along party lines to reject an amendment by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and other Democrats to a budget resolution bill that is the first step toward repealing Obamacare.
The amendment would have forced any bill that would result in insurance coverage losses or higher costs to insured people to get 60 votes for passage. The move was targeted at reconciliation, a procedural move that Republicans hope to use to repeal Obamacare via a simple majority vote as Republicans have only a two-seat majority in the chamber.
Republicans blasted the amendment to the budget resolution, which sets spending and budgetary levels for the next decade.
“A vote in favor of this amendment is a vote against repealing Obamacare,” said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., on the Senate floor Thursday. “This amendment is not germane to this budget resolution.”
The budget resolution directs House and Senate committees to start drafting repeal legislation that can be approved via reconciliation, which must affect only budgetary and spending levels.
Kaine earlier Thursday blasted the resolution, saying Republicans are using it only as a means to repeal the healthcare law.
“It’s a little strange that halfway into fiscal year 2017 we are going to be setting budget levels now,” he said on the Senate floor.
Republicans and Democrats have been sparring this week over the effort to repeal Obamacare. Democrats say Republicans will cause chaos in the insurance markets by repealing the law without a replacement.
Republicans have charged that markets are already in a tailspin because of the healthcare law.
