McConnell says ObamaCare repeal vote will come ‘sometime in the near future’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the Senate will push forward with trying to repeal ObamaCare.

“Sometime in the near future we’ll have a vote on repealing ObamaCare,” McConnell told reporters after a closed-door caucus lunch. 

McConnell acknowledged that his conference does not now have the votes it needs to pass its healthcare bill.

{mosads}And on Tuesday, there was evidence that he does not have the votes to bring a bill repealing ObamaCare to the floor.

GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) all said Tuesday that they would oppose taking up the House-passed ObamaCare repeal bill, which would then be used as a vehicle for Senate action.

“At some point we need to find out where the votes are,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of GOP leadership, acknowledged to reporters. 

McConnell has sought to remind Republican senators that they voted to repeal ObamaCare just two years ago in a 52-47 vote.

At the time, however, Republicans knew then-President Obama would veto the bill.

McConnell’s remarks on Tuesday suggested he is prepared to move forward with a vote even if the procedural motion fails on the floor, since it would at least show the public — and the White House — where the bill stands.

Such a vote could prove politically damaging for various senators, however.

Several moderate GOP senators are publicly urging leadership to put a bill through “regular order” that would include working with Democrats at public hearings. 

McConnell said that if the repeal-only strategy fails, it is “my suspicion” that there will be hearings on insurance prices, but “we’ll have to see what happens.”