GOP/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “Two more Senate Republicans have declared their opposition to the latest plan to overhaul the nation’s health-care system, potentially ending a months-long effort to make good on a GOP promise that has defined the party for nearly a decade and been a top priority for President Trump.
Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) issued statements declaring that they would not vote for the revamped measure. The sudden breaks by Lee, a staunch conservative, and Moran, an ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), rocked the GOP leadership and effectively closed what already had been an increasingly narrow path to passage for the bill.
They joined Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine), who also oppose it. With just 52 seats, Republicans can afford to lose only two votes to pass their proposed rewrite of the Affordable Care Act. All 46 Democrats and two independents are expected to vote against it.
In a pair of tweets Tuesday [7-18-17] morning, Trump decried the defections, called for letting the Affordable Care Act ‘fail’ and vowed to keep pushing for a GOP plan.”
-Sean Sullivan and Lenny Bernstein, “Two more Senate Republicans oppose health-care bill, leaving it without enough votes to pass,” The Washington Post online, July 18, 2017 08:18am