Trump, White House all in on ObamaCare repeal push

President Trump and Vice President Pence have been making calls to senators and governors in a furious effort to gain support for a last-ditch ObamaCare repeal bill. 

The Trump administration is making clear it’s all in on the repeal push, with Pence warning that the White House will not support efforts to “fix” or “prop up” ObamaCare.

That would appear to rule out a bipartisan effort in the Senate Health Committee to craft a bill stabilizing ObamaCare’s insurance markets.

Pence will attend a Senate GOP lunch Tuesday and tell senators “this is the moment” to repeal ObamaCare, the vice president told reporters Tuesday.

He’ll say ObamaCare is “collapsing” and make clear that Trump would sign the bill. 

The repeal legislation, sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), would block grant large parts of ObamaCare funding to the states. 

Cassidy has said he thinks they are just shy of the votes needed for passage. 

Cassidy and Graham have been working to get the support of the three Republican senators who voted against the last repeal measure in July: John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine.) 

All are undecided on the new legislation. Graham on Tuesday said he is “feeling good” about McCain’s position, but said he would let the senator speak for himself. 

In recent days, McCain has taken issue with the process Republicans are using to move the health care legislation, arguing that it should be done with bipartisan support and hearings. 

Cassidy and Graham have a short window for action. The vehicle they’re using to try and pass the bill expires in less than two weeks. After that, the bill would need 60 votes, meaning it would need to get Democratic support to pass.