Graham is 'pressing on' with the health-care bill. Other GOP senators signal they're moving on.
By David Weigel and Sean Sullivan September 23 at 6:58 PM
IOWA CITY — Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) looked out at hundreds of Democrats crowded into a tense town hall meeting Friday afternoon and told them that they’d won. Just an hour earlier, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had come out against the GOP’s latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act on partisan terms.
“I hope that Lamar and Patty can come back again together, hopefully next week,” said Ernst, referring to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who had been working on a bipartisan bill to stabilize the ACA. “We can pick back up and try again.” But Republican leaders have not yet declared defeat on their repeal effort. On Saturday, President Trump applied a new round of pressure on Republican senators to back the bill authored by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.). And Graham’s spokesman said he was “pressing on.”
Republican Senate aides have hinted in recent days at the possibility that new language in the bill might be released at some point. On Saturday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said in an interview on Fox News that Republicans were “refining” the legislation. Still, there are no clear resolutions to the problems facing Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): Time and diminishing support.
Senate leaders only have until the end of the month to take advantage of a procedural rule that allows them to pass their bill without Democratic support. And if one more Republican senator comes out against their plan, it will lack the votes to succeed. Compounding their challenge: Even senators who intended to vote for the bill, such as Ernst, sound ready for another option.
Democrats on Saturday encouraged their supporters not to let up their resistance to the repeal and brace for a final GOP push when Senate Republicans gather for a pivotal weekly policy lunch at the Capitol on Tuesday.
“Healthcare bill has 2 no votes. We need 3. With 4 or more we might be done for a while. Tues GOP meet, decide. We have momentum. Let’s win,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) wrote on Twitter.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/graham-is-pressing-on-with-the-health-care-bill-other-gop-senators-signal-theyre-ready-to-move-on/2017/09/23/33920ad4-9f9b-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
They are pressuring McCain and Paul (especially Paul)to flip. The mega rich donors spent millions bribing the GOP for tax cuts and are relentlessly pressuring the GOP to give them a return on their investment. Also there is the evil and sneaky McConnell who will do ANYTHING for a much needed win. Remember the shit he pulled with Gorsuch?
They are rewriting the bill to give money/bribes to the red states' two senators (Collins and Murkowski) who are undecided. This means they can still be bought off with specific parts of the newest version of the bill which will favor them considerably.
Please keep calling non stop until Oct. 1st and do not stop being vigilant. I have called Congress over 400 times since Jan/Feb in an attempt to make the GOP understand that people need the ACA physically and financially. I am one of them and between the House and the Senate I have been getting an ulcer and severe anxiety everyday since Nov 8th on top of everything else. Their BS games are adding to my already poor health. I think they get off on being cruel and torturing weak people. They are the ones who need Healthcare since they are severely mentally ill. Call (202)224-3121...THANK YOU!
