Senate

McConnell: Senate will take up House ObamaCare repeal bill

by Jordain Carney - 03/07/17 10:54 AM ET

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is detailing the next steps on the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal and replace plans, saying Tuesday that the Senate will take up a House bill released on Monday night.

“I encourage every member to review it, because I hope to call it up when we receive it from the House,” McConnell said from the Senate floor Tuesday.

The House proposal dismantles the core provisions of ObamaCare, including its subsidies to help people buy coverage, expansion of Medicaid, taxes and mandates for people to have insurance. It would also cut off Planned Parenthood funding.

The House is expected to push its proposal through committee this week, with the Senate wanting to take a final vote by early April.

McConnell added the House bill is the “next step” to repealing ObamaCare.

“The policy process moves forward today. We’ve come a long way. We’ve got a lot further to go, but we’re making significant progress,” he said.

McConnell will need 51 votes to get an ObamaCare repeal bill through the upper chamber, meaning he can only lose two Republican senators.

{mosads}Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is holding a conference call to discuss his opposition “to anything less than a full repeal of ObamaCare.”

Paul, as well as Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) demanded “full repeal” on ObamaCare after a draft of the House bill was leaked.

Meanwhile, four GOP senators warned on Monday that they could vote against the bill over concerns about what happens to Medicaid expansion money in their states.

Senators could still amend the House bill once it gets to the upper chamber. If they do, the measure will need to be sent back to the House.

No Democrats are expected to back the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday said the House ObamaCare bill is a “mess.”

“After seven years of talking about the same thing over and over again, you’d think the Republicans would have been able to come up with a better plan than this,” Schumer said. “This plan is a mess.”

Tags Chuck Schumer Mike Lee Ted Cruz