U.S. Senate Republican leaders are delaying a vote on the bill that is to replace and repeal much of “Obamacare” after being unable to martial the 51 votes needed to pass it.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had tried to rush passage of the secretly-drafted bill before the July 4 recess.
But that plan had to be abandoned after five Republicans voiced opposition to the bill and others criticized the rushed passage and how the bill was secretly drafted.
McConnell downplayed the delay, saying it was normal for a bill this complicated.
“They’re hard to pull together, hard to pass,” he said.
Senators were going to visit the White House later Tuesday to meet with President Donald Trump, who McConnell said had been supportive of the effort to pass the bill.
“He wanted to talk to all of us together today, and I think that’s helpful. Look, legislation of this complexity almost always takes longer than almost anybody else would hope. But we’re going to press on. We think the status quo is unsustainable …”
McConnell said several senators wanted more time and they would take the time to get at least 50 of them in “a comfortable place” where they could vote in support of the bill.
Republican senators Rand Paul (Kentucky) and Ted Cruz (Texas) were among high-profile opponents to the bill.
“I want to get to yes, but this first draft doesn’t get the job done,” Cruz wrote in a detailed explanation of his concerns on his Facebook page.
Other Republicans in battleground states face difficult upcoming elections and fear coming under fire after the the Congress Budget Office said Monday the measure would leave 22 million more people uninsured by 2026.
McConnell said the president was speaking to senators one on one and would be very important in getting the bill to conclusion.
“After all, under our system he’s the man with the signature,” said McConnell. “He’s fully engaged and being helpful in whatever way he can including the meeting this afternoon.”
