Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Sat Sep 2, 2017, 09:27 AM Sep 2017

Moment of truth arrives for Obamacare repeal

Republicans face a Sept. 30 deadline to kill the law with 50 votes, but many in the party have already moved on.

By RACHANA PRADHAN and JOHN BRESNAHAN 09/01/2017 02:40 PM EDT

In a potential death knell for efforts to repeal Obamacare — at least this year — the Senate parliamentarian has ruled that Republicans face a Sept. 30 deadline to kill or overhaul the law with only 50 votes, Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee said Friday.

Congress is facing fights in September over boosting the federal debt limit, government funding, defense programs and the FAA, among other issues. Adding another Obamacare repeal battle to that schedule could prove too much for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has all but said he's moving on from health care.

In search of a badly needed legislative victory, McConnell and other Senate Republicans have shifted their focus instead to tax reform.

Yet President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly predicted Obamacare is about to implode — has called for another repeal vote in the Senate, as have GOP conservative hard-liners in both the House and Senate. Trump and McConnell had a tense phone call after the Senate's rejection on July 28 of a "skinny" repeal bill in which the president berated the Kentucky Republican over his failure to push through the repeal package.

Trump has openly speculated about McConnell's political future if Congress can't deliver on tax reform. McConnell, however, remains very popular among his Senate GOP colleagues.

more
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/01/obamacare-repeal-fast-track-timeline-242261

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Moment of truth arrives f...