GOP senator: Dems should have been in healthcare process from start

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) criticized the recent healthcare reform talks on Wednesday, saying the negotiations should have been done on bipartisan basis with Democrats.

“I wish we were doing this on a bipartisan basis,” Johnson told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day.”

“I think it was a mistake saying right away we were going to do this partisan, that’s where we’re out. Maybe what we’re going to have to do is our partisan bill, Democrats do theirs, we’re not going to fix all of these problems. Then maybe, maybe everybody will sit down and lets long-term fix the healthcare system, let’s start controlling healthcare costs,” the Wisconsin senator continued.

{mosads}Johnson said on Monday that he would vote against a motion to proceed to the upper chamber’s healthcare reform bill if a vote was to be held this week.

His comments come as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday the Senate would not be voting on the bill this week amid tensions within the Republican conference.

McConnell had previously expressed a desire to hold a vote on the legislation before Congress’s July 4 recess.