Frustration As Trump’s Attempt To Repeal Obamacare Fails Again

The American Senate, on Friday, failed to pass a bill seeking to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, popularly called the Obamacare.

The senators voted 49-51 after a late-night debate, as three Republicans voted against the bill, dealing a stinging defeat to President Donald Trump who made Obamacare repeal a campaign promise.

Three Republican senators — John McCain, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — and all Democrats opposed the bill.

McCain who had voted for a motion to proceed to the bill Tuesday after returning to Washington following surgery for a brain tumor, moved against the bill in the early hours of Friday, delivering a major setback for Republicans who have spent seven years vowing to repeal and replace the Obamacare.

His surprise decision came after a prolonged drama on the Senate floor. Multiple Republican colleagues, including Vice President Mike Pence, engaged in animated conversations with the Arizona senator who has long cherished his reputation as a maverick.

The dramatic vote ended months of furious negotiating which exposed a party riven over how to dismantle a law that extended healthcare coverage to millions of Americans and has taken root in several states, in some cases with the help of Republican governors.

In an analysis released roughly an hour after the bill was filed, the non-partisan congressional budget committee estimated that 15 million people would lose their cover if it passed and premiums would rise by 20%.
Speaking after the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said: “This is clearly a disappointing moment, our constituents have suffered through an awful lot under Obamacare.

“We thought they deserved better. It’s why I and many of my colleagues did as we promised and voted to repeal this failed law. We told our constituents we would vote that way. And when the moment came, when the moment came, most of us did.

“It’s time to move on,” he said, moving the Senate on to the defense authorization bill.

Also reacting to the vote, McCain criticized the partisan approach to the health care repeal process, urging his colleagues to return back to the “correct way of legislating”.

“I’ve stated time and time again that one of the major failures of Obamacare was that it was rammed through Congress by Democrats on a strict-party line basis without a single Republican vote,” the Arizona senator said.

“We must now return to the correct way of legislating and send the bill back to committee, hold hearings, receive input from both sides of aisle, heed the recommendations of nation’s governors, and produce a bill that finally delivers affordable health care for the American people. We must do the hard work our citizens expect of us and deserve.”

The vote also deprived President Trump of his first major legislative victory six months into his administration.
Trump in a tweet in the early hours of Friday said: “3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!”

3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017