Dealing a serious blow to President Donald Trump' s agenda, the Senate early Friday rejected a measure to repeal parts of former President Barack Obama' s health care law after a night of high suspense in the U. S. Capitol.
President Donald Trump says Congress should have approved legislation to repeal the Obama-era health law after working on it for seven years. But he says « you can’t have everything. »Trump referred to Washington as « the swamp » before pledging that « we’re going to get it done. »Three Republican senators — Arizona’s John McCain, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins — voted to kill the GOP drive to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Trump says he said from the beginning to « let Obamacare implode » and then repeal it. He says « I turned out to be right. »Trump spoke Friday in Suffolk County, New York. A Republican congressman is lashing out at two Senate Republicans who helped defeat the Senate GOP health care bill. Iowa’s Steve King says in a statement that the Affordable Care Act is a « law that ought not exist, and I will continue to advocate for its complete repeal. »He singles out Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, saying she « was initially appointed to her position by her father, » and that her write-in campaign in 2010 « was essentially a revolt against GOP primary voters. »Murkowski won election to a fourth term last year. Of Arizona Sen. John McCain, King says McCain recently told the Senate « he would return and ‘give all of you cause to regret the nice things you said about me.’ He kept his word. »The two senators along with Maine’s Susan Collins joined Democrats in defeating the bill. A powerful House Republican says the tax increases in the Obama health law will not be addressed in the tax reform bill. The Obamacare taxes hit mostly corporations and high-income families. Eliminating them would reduce tax revenues by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade. Congressman Kevin Brady of Texas says addressing them in the tax bill would mean higher tax rates for families and local businesses. Meanwhile, Brady said House Republicans will explore ways to fix some of Obamacare’s problems. That contradicts administration officials who say they want to let it fail. Brady doesn’t offer specifics. He says, « Right now, we’re just assessing the situation. »Brady chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Senator John McCain is calling on the Senate to « start fresh » on health care after he cast the decisive vote killing the GOP’s « Obamacare » repeal effort. McCain says that « it is now time to return to regular order with input from all of our members – Republicans and Democrats. »In a statement Friday, McCain calls on lawmakers of both parties « to trust each other, stop the political gamesmanship, and put the health care needs of the American people first. »McCain says that the Senate’s essential qualities of trust and bipartisanship have been missing in recent years as senators have succumbed to « partisan rancor and gridlock. »And he concludes: « We can do this. »
