Following the news that 'repeal' would not garner the votes required to pass, President Trump said he was disappointed in the Senate's failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and argued that Republicans should now let the law fail on its own.
Trump on the health care vote: In 2018, "we have to get more Republicans elected because we have to get it done" https://t.co/KRJZifYsXU
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 18, 2017
As The Hill reports, in his first on-camera remarks about the stalemate in the Senate, Trump said that Republicans should now “let ObamaCare fail” following the collapse of their effort to repeal and replace the law.
He added that it “will be a lot easier” to allow ObamaCare to falter on its own.
“I think we're probably in that position where we'll let ObamaCare fail,” he said.
“We're not going to own it. I'm not going to own it. I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it. We'll let ObamaCare fail and then the Democrats are going to come to us."
* * *
Well that did not take long. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s new proposal to simply repeal Obamacare is already dead after GOP Senators Susan Collins, Shelley Moore Capito and Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday they’ll oppose a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Murkowski, who previously balked at the last version of the ObamaCare bill, said she is a "no" on the motion to proceed to a repeal-only plan. She is the third Republican senator to take that position.
"No. I said back in January that if we're going to do a repeal there has to be a replacement. There's enough chaos and uncertainty already," she told reporters Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Republican Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Susan Collins said on Tuesday that they will not support moving forward with the plan to repeal ObamaCare with a delayed replacement.
"My position on this issue is driven by its impact on West Virginians. With that in mind, I cannot vote to repeal ObamaCare without a replacement plan that addresses my concerns and the needs of West Virginians," Capito said in a statement.
Collins said that she is still a "no" on proceeding to the House-passed bill, which would be used as a vehicle for any Senate action.
“We can’t just hope that we will pass a replacement within the next two years. Repealing without a replacement would create great uncertainty for individuals who rely on the [Affordable Care Act] and cause further turmoil in the insurance markets," she said.
And to kill the bill, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also said she wouldn’t vote to take up a repeal-alone measure.
"There’s enough chaos and uncertainty already and this would just contribute to it," Murkowski told reporters.
The announcements effectively put the healthcare push in limbo. With a 52-seat majority, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can only afford to lose two senators and still let Vice President Pence break a tie.
Reuters reports that President Trump says:
"We are at a point where we likely need to let ObamaCare fail... Democrats will then come to us."
Confirming his earlier tweet:
As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2017
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans to start over and work with Democrats.
"The door to bipartisanship is open right now, not with repeal, but with an effort to improve the existing system," he said on the Senate floor.
As usual, the markets does not care because Netflix is up.