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Heller Willing To Strike An Obamacare Repeal Deal

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Robert Donachie Capitol Hill and Health Care Reporter
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Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada hinted Wednesday evening that he is willing to broker a deal with his fellow Republicans in the Senate to repeal Obamacare.

Heller came out swinging against the Senate bill to repeal major portions of Obamacare at a press conference in June but has remained rather quiet regarding the recent revisions to the bill and other schemes floated by Senate leadership, like repealing Obamacare before coming up with a replacement. (RELATED: How Trump Is Trying To Save Obamacare)

The senator has yet to make a decision about whether or not he can support the bill as it stands. “All I’m trying to do is get all the information I possibly can before I make a decision,” Heller told Axios in an interview late Wednesday evening.

Heller said he is simply committed to making the best decision for his constituents, and “if that’s a no vote, that’s a no vote.” The senator is arguably the most vulnerable senator up for reelection in the 2018 congressional election cycle, as he sits in a state that chose to expand Medicaid under Obamacare and Democrats continue to pour money into his state.

The Republican senator holdouts, including Heller, met last night at 7:30 p.m. to attempt finalize a plan to both repeal and replace Obamacare. Thus far, Republicans have failed to reach a consensus regarding whether or not to repeal and replace, or repeal, or let Obamacare continue, as Trump has suggested in the past.

Trump met Wednesday evening with every Republican senator who is currently opposed to the Senate bill repealing major portions of Obamacare. The president told senators Wednesday afternoon that they should work into the evening to hammer out their differences and get a deal done

The president made it known that any Republican senator that remains opposed to debating the Senate bill is signaling to their constituents that they are simply “fine with Obamacare.”

Trump urged members of Congress to delay the August recess in early July. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell responded to Trump’s request with an announcement that he would shorten the recess by two weeks to give lawmakers ample time to come to an agreement on the best way to reform health care.

Despite the number of Republican defections, McConnell announced Tuesday that the Senate will move forward on the motion to proceed on the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

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