Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has locked in this week’s attempt to repeal Obamacare, by scheduling a vote on Tuesday to start debate on the legislation.
“The only way we’ll have an opportunity to consider ideas is if senators have an opportunity to offer and debate them and that means kicking off debate, it means voting to proceed,” McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday on the Senate floor. “And that will occur tomorrow.”
The announcement comes as Republicans struggle to garner the 50 GOP votes needed to let them move onto the bill, and as the party debates how to replace Obamacare and how much of it to repeal.
The vote has been complicated by the absence of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is home after surgery to remove a blood clot, and was later diagnosed with brain cancer.
There was no indication as of Monday that McCain will return for the vote.
On Tuesday, Republicans will vote to proceed to a House-passed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, but McConnell is expected to offer a substitute of either a 2015 bill to repeal Obamacare, or a Senate GOP bill that repeals Obamacare and replaces it. Republicans who were still on the fence were worried in part that they couldn’t be sure which bill McConnell would move to after the first procedural vote.
“When the vote comes up, I’ll keep my commitment to move beyond the failures of Obamacare,” McConnell said. “I will vote yes on the motion to proceed and I would urge all of my colleagues to do the same.”
