House panel nears 24-hour mark on markup of GOP’s ObamaCare repeal bill

by Jessie Hellmann - 03/09/17 5:21 AM ET

A House panel’s markup of the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal-and-replace plan dragged on into the early hours of the morning Thursday, with Republicans rejecting a number of Democrat-sponsored amendments.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee began its markup at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and was still going strong as of 5 a.m. Thursday with no end in sight.

Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said the committee would not adjourn until all amendments, including about 100 from Democrats, were considered.

{mosads}The committee had only made its way through five amendments as of early Thursday morning, meaning Democrats could drag the markup through the rest of the week.

Democrats complained that Republicans are marking up the bill, known as the American Health Care Act, without a score from the Congressional Budget Office, which will indicate how many people may lose coverage under the GOP plan and how much it will cost.

Republicans shot down amendments from Democrats that would have removed a provision defunding Planned Parenthood, kept ObamaCare’s patient protections and changed the title of the bill to “Republican Pay More For Less Act.”

Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced its portion of the GOP legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare Thursday morning along a party-line vote, 23-16.

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