GOP leaders aim to pass ObamaCare repeal by inauguration
House and Senate budget leaders are teeing up a vote to repeal most of ObamaCare by Jan. 20, 2017, according to multiple sources.
{mosads}The leaders of the House and Senate Budget committees are planning the vote for the first week of January, to deal an immediate blow to ObamaCare after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to a Senate GOP aide.
Another source off Capitol Hill said the Trump transition team has signed off on the plan and that the traditional vote-a-rama process could take place as early as Jan. 5.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) hinted this week that the GOP-controlled Congress could vote to repeal ObamaCare early in Trump’s presidency, before a replacement plan is ready. Lawmakers have said that any bill to dismantle President Obama’s healthcare law would almost certainly include a delay of 12 to 18 months so that millions do not lose healthcare coverage.
The lawmakers would use a process known as reconciliation, which allows budget bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the Democrats’ ability to filibuster.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he could not confirm the timeline, adding: “You have to pass a budget before you pass a reconciliation bill.”
The reconciliation bill would be largely modeled after Congress’s 2015 bill to repeal most of ObamaCare, which was vetoed by Obama, sources said.
“They’re moving forward with, more or less, the 2015 bill,” one source said. “It is a lot of work, but if you talk to House or Senate leadership, they’re telling all their members they should be prepared for a lot of work.”
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