President Donald Trump savaged Obamacare Tuesday morning, hours before the Senate will vote on whether to debate the House-passed Obamacare repeal bill.
The procedural vote comes after months of struggle for Senate GOP leadership, who have been unable to muster support for a separate Senate health care bill.
Majority leader Mitch McConnell tried in vain to bring together GOP centrists concerned about the inclusion of deep Medicaid cuts and conservatives like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who argued the Senate bill did not do enough to repeal Obamacare. (RELATED: The GOP Needs These Three Senators To Pass Repeal And Replace)
After failing to secure the 52 votes required to pass their own health care bill under Senate budget rules, McConnell decided the party should vote to take up the AHCA, which narrowly passed the House in May.
Trump also praised GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona as a “war hero,” in sharp contrast to the mocking way in which he spoke about McCain’s military service during the campaign. McCain, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, is expected to fly into Washington in time for the vote.
Should Republicans make it beyond the procedural hurdle, they are expected to use the House bill as a template to begin debate, but their final version will likely deviate significantly from the AHCA in its current form.
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