The Senate on Tuesday voted to begin debate on ObamaCare repeal legislation, a major step toward the goal of ending the healthcare law.
The motion was approved in a razor-thin 50-50 vote, with Vice President Pence breaking the tie.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) received thunderous applause as he entered the chamber for the first time since being diagnosed with brain cancer to cast the 49th vote. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) then cast the 50th vote for the bill.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined Senate Democrats and Independents in voting against the measure.
Democrats withheld their no votes until all of the Republican senators had voted.
That the GOP had the votes only became clear when Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced minutes before the vote began that they would support their party on the procedural motion.
Highlighting the drama and tensions that have surrounded the debate, protesters in the Senate gallery began chanting against the legislation as Senate Republicans sought to begin the vote on the procedural motion.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urged his party to back the procedural motion, arguing it was improper to prevent the Senate from holding a debate on such an important matter.
Several of the lawmakers who backed him at the last moment made it clear that they had not decided to back McConnell on a final vote to clear legislation through the Senate.
“Today, I will vote to begin debate to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Capito said in a statement. “As this process advances on the Senate floor, I will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of West Virginians.”
Republicans are voting to begin debate on the unknown, in some respects.
The procedural motion technically brings the Senate to the House’s ObamaCare repeal-and-replace legislation, and in a highly unusual situation, it is unclear what will happen next.
It is expected that the Senate will vote on a repeal-only measure, the latest version of the Senate replacement bill, and a significantly scaled-down measure known as a “skinny bill.”
This “skinny bill” is the newest option, with the idea being that if Republicans cannot agree on any more significant legislation, they can pass what few provisions they agree on and then go to a conference committee to negotiate with the House.
The vote to begin debate came after days of speculation as to whether Republicans had the votes to begin. Leaders stressed that there would be amendments, allowing senators to try to address their concerns.
Whatever actions senators take will have dramatic results for the healthcare system.
The Congressional Budget Office found that the latest version of the Senate’s replacement bill would cause 22 million more people to be uninsured over a decade. That bill would scale back ObamaCare subsidies to help people afford coverage and put a new cap on Medicaid spending, leading to billions of dollars in cuts to the program.
Republicans argue that ObamaCare is collapsing and therefore some action is necessary. Democrats counter that markets are stabilizing, but uncertainty from the Trump administration is destabilizing the situation.
The “skinny bill” under consideration is likely to only repeal ObamaCare’s coverage mandates and the medical device tax, aides say.
The option illustrates how tough it has been for Republicans to come to agreement on any more sweeping repeal-and-replace bill.
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