Sanders: GOP ‘damn well’ needs ObamaCare replacement

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says Republicans cannot repeal ObamaCare without having an alternative first.

“I’m going to do everything I can – and I believe I speak for virtually every member of the Democratic Caucus – that we’re going to do everything we can to improve the Affordable Care Act [ACA],” he said during a CNN town hall at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on Monday. “It has problems.”

“But we damn well are not going to see it repealed and have no replacement there at all,” added Sanders, who unsuccessfully sought the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

{mosads}Senate Democrats took to the floor late Monday to protest the GOP’s plan to repeal ObamaCare without an immediate replacement.

The late-night talkathon is aimed at rallying voters against repeal efforts and portraying the GOP as responsible for backlash caused by possible roiling of the insurance market.

“Get real, [Republicans] don’t have a clue what to do next,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said from the Senate floor. “Repeal and run. That’s the Republican plan.”

“We are now in the midst of a budget resolution effort that is designed by the Republican majority to repeal ObamaCare,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said from the floor. “The Republicans hate ObamaCare. They hate it almost as much as the devil hates holy water.”

Democrats are hoping to seize on Republican dissent over whether a repeal of ObamaCare should include a quick replacement for the 2010 legislation.

The Senate is expected to vote this week to pass ObamaCare repeal rules, with Democrats facing an uphill battle to stop GOP efforts. Republicans boast a 52-seat majority in the Senate, and only 50 votes are needed for an ObamaCare repeal to clear the upper chamber.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), however, said earlier Monday any negative effects from scrapping the law would hurt Republicans.

“We’ve told our Republican colleagues, if you repeal it, you own it,” he told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. “So far not a single Republican has presented a replacement that has gotten even a small consensus among Republicans.”