GOP senator: ObamaCare repeal bill may not have votes to pass

by Jessie Hellmann - 03/07/17 12:14 PM ET

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a former member of House leadership, said Tuesday the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare as it stands may not be able to get the support needed to pass the Senate.

“What I don’t like is, it may not be a plan that gets a majority votes and let’s us move on. Because, we can’t stay where we are with the plan we’ve got now,” Blunt said on KMBZ, as first reported by CNN.

Blunt, who served as a vote counter in the lower chamber, said the final plan would need to be negotiated.

{mosads}”I think the nucleus of the plan is clearly there, and the president says it’s negotiable and so do House members,” he said.

“So, I’ll be interested to be a part of that negotiation as we work toward a majority in the House and Senate that puts a bill on the president’s desk.”

Two measures unveiled Monday evening dismantle the core aspects of ObamaCare, including its subsidies to help people buy coverage, its expansion of Medicaid, its taxes and its mandates for people to have insurance.

The bills also restructure the Medicaid program overall by capping federal payments. In its place, Republicans would put a new system centered on a tax credit to help people buy insurance.

Conservatives have taken issue with the refundable tax credit, saying it’s another entitlement program. They also want to see a full repeal of ObamaCare’s taxes and regulations.

Tags Roy Blunt