Posted on 12/21/2017 10:41:42 PM PST by fluorescence
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday the Senate is unlikely to pursue a repeal and replacement of Obamacare next year, bowing to the reality of a narrower Republican majority in 2018.
McConnell said on NPR on Thursday that the Senate was unable to repeal and replace Obamacare with a 52-48 majority earlier this year, and indicated it will be even tougher with one less Republican. Democrat Doug Jones won an upset victory against Republican Roy Moore in Alabama this month, narrowing the GOP margin even more in the upper chamber.
"We'll have to take a look at what that looks like with a 51-49 Senate," he said. "But I think we'll probably move on to other issues."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who led an Obamacare replacement bill with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told reporters that moving away from repeal would "be a mistake."
McConnell appears to be satisfied with the repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate in the tax reform bill. The mandate forces everyone to buy health insurance, and experts have warned without it, younger and healthier people will go away from the law’s exchanges and cause them to crater.
"I think the repeal of the individual mandate takes the heart out of Obamacare," McConnell said. "We want to steady the insurance markets if we can... and I think we'll probably be addressing that part of healthcare sometime next year."
McConnell was referring to two Obamacare stabilization bills that Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was hoping to get passed by the end of the year. Collins and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said they abandoned plans to insert the bills into a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government until Jan. 19. That bill needs to be passed this week because the government runs out of money on Dec. 22.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
One Vote lead and a Republican V.P. to break a tie and he gives up.
I still remember Trent Lott giving away the Majority when the Senate was 50/50 with a Republican V.P.
Two Peas from the same Pod.
A clear demonstration of corruption
McConnell is still young. He’s only 75 years old.
Sabouteur. We need a majority leader who’s on our team.
Trillions of potential skimmable wealth is available, so they will not give it up so easily.
How right you are, and how foul for our elected representatives to lie to our faces, election cycle after election cycle.
We will move on ObamaCare in 2019, when we have a clear majority.
The dems have 25 seats up in 2018, we have only 8.
The dems have 11 vulnerable and we have maybe one.
We will take 8-11 seats and have a majority that cannot be filibustered.
Let’s keep stuffing the courts with constitionalists over the next year and begin building the wall around summertime.
We will get there.
Also, look for a new vision on welfare reform next year.
Patience.
Dollars to donuts says Mr. McConnell’s investment
portfolio contains big pharma/healthcare stocks.
It’s *always* about the money. Always!
Since Yertle the Turtle couldn't have the corrupt Luther Strange in his part of the swamp, he settled for Jones.
They must have had videos.
America will be unlikely to stop demeaning McConnell
and his traitorous RINOs.
They —perpetual liars— MUST be run out of this government.
There appear to be too many levers already pulled and too many irons in the fire for the turtle to have any idea what will happen in the coming year. The dishonest media will be free to continue to manufacture their narrative to a diminishing audience.
A coward is always a coward...
and therein lies the problem. These lawyerticians get into office worth a couple million. Next thing you know, they’re worth 30 million while making $200k per year.
The only way to truly drain the swamp is to have rules in place that forbid them, their families and associates from taking in any income from their elected position, other than that $200k salary.
Insider trading is against the law except when our politicians do it. K-street needs to be bulldozed too.
I expect our lead in the Senate to increase.
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