Senate Democrats won’t offer any amendments until they know what final bill Republicans want to vote on, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.
Schumer slammed Republicans for not offering up details on what their final Obamacare repeal bill could be. The speech comes about a day before an expected “vote-a-rama” on amendments from Democrats and Republicans.
“We don’t even have a final bill to amend,” Schumer said. “The idea this is an open amendment process defies credulity.”
Republicans voted 51-50 with Vice President Pence casting the deciding vote to open debate on a Obamacare repeal bill that passed the House in May. However, it remains unclear what the final health bill will look like.
Schumer said that he knows Republicans aren’t going to take a vote on that repeal bill, which is still the pending legislation.
Votes on a bill to repeal and immediately replace Obamacare and another bill to gut Obamacare and put together a replacement in a few years both failed.
It remains unclear what final legislation McConnell wants to offer. Republican leadership is whipping votes on a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare that just guts the individual and employer mandate and possibly the medical device tax.
Republicans are touting this approach as a way to keep the process moving forward. After the bill is voted out of the Senate then they could go to conference with the House to take another crack at developing a repeal-and-replace bill.
