The Obamacare repeal has once again found itself facing more delays. Getting the bill passed has given the Trump administration many headaches. Finding a proper Obamacare replacement is harder than many thought. Law makers are not happy with the standard of the bill as it stands.
The Senators are asking that more be done to the bill. Some Senators threaten to move away from this process, if the bill isn’t changed. Senator Lindsey Graham said “I’d rather get of out of the way and have it collapse, than have a half-assed approach where it is now our problem.”
No Replacement
At a news conference Graham said “the skinny bill as policy is a disaster, “The skinny bill as a replacement for Obamacare is a fraud.” An attempt to have a vote by Saturday was played down by Republican Conservatives.
Chris Collins, who is a Trump ally, was pushing for the Saturday move. The Senate preferred to give themselves until Tuesday.
Amendments to the bill has seen the Senate in a rare all night session. The process has caused much frustration among the Senators. The Republican Senators have showed their disapproval to their leaders.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader is pushing to get the bill passed. He is hoping the bill is passed, so it can be discussed in more detail among the House and Senate.
Frustration Over Bill
A lack of trust in Republican House Leader Paul Ryan is another reason the bill has faced delays. Senators don’t want to pass the bill fearing it will head straight to the White House. They don’t want to see the bill sent to Trump as is and then put into law. The Senators want assurances about how the process will be handled.
Senators Lindsey Graham, Ron Johnson and John McCain spoke at a press conference. They made clear their feelings about the bill. They want something better to be put into law by the President. That is only possible if what is currently there is being passed by the Senate.
Paul spoke after the conference saying the House is “willing” to go to conference. Ryan also said “The reality, however, is that repealing and replacing Obamacare still ultimately requires the Senate to produce 51 votes for an actual plan.”
The plan was to take the bill as is and hand the President to sign into law. This however reached the ears of Graham. This has bothered him very much, since the bill is Skinny, a term used by many. Rep. Mark Meadows is the one who brought this revelation to the ears of Graham. Meadows said he won’t vote for the bill in it’s current form.
One important factor about the bill is to save money, something not evident right now. This is a very necessary requirement for it to gain 50 votes. Some Republican leaders claim the current bill is just a vehicle. It will not be the final product, just a means to an end.
A bill is set to be pass Friday to put the legislature in “martial law”, the Senate will then resume on Tuesday.