The Senate GOP leadership expects the House will agree to go to conference on an Obamacare repeal bill to avoid having a “skinny” Obamacare repeal bill become the final healthcare reform effort.
But House leaders are giving no such assurances, putting Republican senators in an awkward place.
The Senate leadership is selling a reluctant conference on a “skinny” repeal bill that guts only parts of Obamacare. Many senators have expressed displeasure with the bill but say they could reluctantly support it if it will be used as a vehicle to start talks with the House during a conference, which is used to iron out differences in legislation.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that, formally, the request for a conference has to come from House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
However, he said he has “every expectation” that there will be a conference to iron out a new Obamacare repeal bill.
But Ryan is not committing to a conference until the House sees the final legislation, a senior House leadership aide told the Washington Examiner.
Cornyn remains bullish, though, on the chances of a conference.
“My understanding is the speaker has said they are preparing for a conference,” he said.
But the lack of a clear guarantee from Ryan’s office comes as numerous senators say they won’t vote for skinny repeal unless it goes to a conference.
A Senate GOP aide said that we are “operating under the assumption the House will pass the skinny as is tomorrow.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that passing the skinny bill as the final bill would “destroy insurance markets and we would own the failure of Obamacare.”
Other senators are operating as if the skinny bill is a means to an end, with the end being a conference with the House.
“The skinny bill is almost like a motion to proceed to keep it going forward,” said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.
The Senate is expected to vote on a skinny repeal bill Thursday after voting on a series of amendments as part of a process called vote-a-rama. However, Senate Democrats have said they are not going to offer any amendments until they see the final skinny repeal bill.
• Washington Examiner Reporter Al Weaver contributed to this report
