Politics

Jeff Sessions: Simple GOP majority, strong president all we need to repeal Obamacare

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On “The Matt Murphy Show” on 100 WAPI in Birmingham, Ala. on Friday, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said that repealing Obamacare in the wake of yesterday’s Supreme Court decision will be easier now that it has been declared constitutional under Congress’ powers of taxation.

Given that the decision has converted the law into a budget issue, Session said he now subscribes to the belief that the Senate will be able to repeal Obamacare with a simple 51 votes, instead of the 60 normally required to overcome a filibuster.

“I believe a simple majority in the Senate with a strong president who leads and some of the abilities we have on budget reconciliation dealing with debt and taxes — I believe could be passed with a simple majority,” Sessions said. “I believe in effect, this legislation can be killed and we need to start over. We need to look at what we need to do to make health care more competitive and less expensive.”

The junior Alabama senator emphasized the importance of the November election to change the direction of health care in the United States.

“I think most people are really happy with the fabulous health care we have in America,” he continued. “It’s just expensive. And we’d like to create a mechanism — not a government-dominated mechanism, that can bring down the costs. That’s really possible. I’m telling you, it can be done. I believe there’s a reasonable chance and there will be a referendum in November on what direction we go.”

Sessions went on to say it was important for presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney to come out right away with an alternative, and noted that the GOP only needs to pick up three seats to stop to the legislation.

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