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Republicans delay vote on healthcare bill in major setback for Trump's Obamacare repeal Republicans delay vote on healthcare bill in major setback for Trump's Obamacare repeal
(35 minutes later)
Facing growing opposition from members of his own party, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed the vote on the Republicans' healthcare bill until after Congress's 4 July recess. Facing growing opposition from members of his own party, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed the vote on the Republicans' healthcare bill until after Congress's 4 July recess. 
The schedule change is another setback for Donald Trump's effort to repeal and replace Obamacare – officially known as the Affordable Care Act, which he has repeatedly referred to as "dead". The schedule change is another setback for Donald Trump's effort to repeal and replace Obamacare – officially known as the Affordable Care Act, which he has repeatedly referred to as "dead". 
Mr Trump has summoned all 52 Republican senators to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to proceed - with Democrats appearing to scent the potential to turn their staunch opposition to the bill into a complete defeat for the Trump administration. Mr Trump has summoned all 52 Republican senators to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to proceed – while Democrats appear to have recognised the potential to turn their staunch opposition to the bill into a complete defeat for the Trump administration.
Mr McConnell had been struggling to appease different wings of the Republican party. When he postponed the vote, at least five senators had suggested that they would vote against the motion to begin debate on the bill, which was originally scheduled to hit the Senate floor on Wednesday.Mr McConnell had been struggling to appease different wings of the Republican party. When he postponed the vote, at least five senators had suggested that they would vote against the motion to begin debate on the bill, which was originally scheduled to hit the Senate floor on Wednesday.
The defectors included centrist Susan Collins of Maine, moderate Dean Heller of Nevada, and conservatives Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. The defectors included centrist Susan Collins of Maine, moderate Dean Heller of Nevada, and conservatives Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. 
The leading Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said that the lack of consensus over the healthcare bill proved that it was fundamentally flawed "at the centre" but that his party know "the fight is not over" regarding Republican plans to push the bill through. The Senate plan significantly scales back Medicaid – a healthcare programme for the poor – repeals Obamacare’s taxes on the wealthy, and defunds Planned Parenthood for a year.
Mr Schumer said that the Democrats have a good chance of defeating the bill whether that is "a week from now, a month from now [or] a year from now."  The leading Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said that the lack of consensus over the healthcare bill has proved that it's fundamentally flawed "at the centre", but that his party knows "the fight is not over" regarding Republican plans to push the bill through.
As for Mr McConnell, he said the Republican leadership are “still working toward getting at least 50 people in a comfortable place” over the healthcare bill.  "Over the next couple of weeks, we know that Leader McConnell will try to use a slush fund to buy off Republicans, cut backroom deals to try and get this thing done. So we’re going to watch this bill," Mr Shumer said at a press conference following the announcement of the vote's postponement. 
Despite the delay to legislation representing one of his major presidential campaign promises, Mr McConnell said that Mr Trump and the White House are “very anxious to help”.  He added that he is willing to work with Republicans, but suggested that his colleagues across the aisle "first, abandon tax breaks for the wealthy, abandon cuts to Medicaid, abandon repeal."
Mr McConnell added that healthcare is “a big complicated subject,” and complicated bills are “hard to pull together and hard to pass.”  "And we can sit down and talk about improving healthcare," Mr Schumer said. 
Mr Schumer said earlier that the Democrats have a good chance of defeating the bill whether that is "a week from now, a month from now [or] a year from now." 
 
As for Mr McConnell, he said the Republican leadership is "still working toward getting at least 50 people in a comfortable place" over the healthcare bill. 
Despite the delay to legislation representing one of his major presidential campaign promises, Mr McConnell said that Mr Trump and the White House are "very anxious to help". 
Mr McConnell added that healthcare is "a big complicated subject," and complicated bills are "hard to pull together and hard to pass."
With a majority of 52 Republicans to 48 Democrats in the Senate, Mr McConnell can only afford to lose two votes on both the motion to begin formally considering the bill – known as the motion to proceed – as well as on the bill itself. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence will cast the deciding vote. With a majority of 52 Republicans to 48 Democrats in the Senate, Mr McConnell can only afford to lose two votes on both the motion to begin formally considering the bill – known as the motion to proceed – as well as on the bill itself. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence will cast the deciding vote. 
When asked by a reporter about what it would it would mean for the healthcare bill to stall on the motion to proceed, Ms Collins responded, "I hope it would mean that we will go back to the drawing board, work in a bipartisan fashion to correct the very real problems that do exist with the Affordable Care Act." When asked by a reporter about what it would it would mean for the healthcare bill to stall on the motion to proceed, Ms Collins responded, "I hope it would mean that we will go back to the drawing board, work in a bipartisan fashion to correct the very real problems that do exist with the Affordable Care Act." 
Mr McConnell and the Senate Republican leadership, who unveiled their healthcare measure last Thursday, had been pushing for a vote on the measure by the end of the week and the start of the recess.  Mr McConnell and the Senate Republican leadership, who unveiled their healthcare measure last Thursday, had been pushing for a vote on the measure by the end of the week and the start of the recess. 
The delay in the vote was a sign that McConnell and Trump have failed so far to attract enough votes amid a solid block of Democratic opposition and attacks from both moderate and conservative Republican senators. Republican legislators' overlapping concerns and competing interests have presented Mr McConnell with a balancing act. Moderate senators worry that millions of people would lose their insurance, while conservatives assert that the bill does not do enough to erase Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski confirmed that the vote had been put off. “Nothing this week,” she told reporters as she left a Senate Republican luncheon. The bill's prospects were not helped by an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office saying the measure would cause 22 million Americans to lose medical insurance over the next decade. The report prompted Senator Collins, a key moderate vote, to say she could not support moving forward on the bill as it stands. 
While the House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill last month to replace Obamacare, the Senate version appears to be stalled. Ms Collins told reporters that if the bill stalls on the motion to proceed to debate, she hopes "it would mean that we will go back to the drawing board, work in a bipartisan fashion to correct the very real problems that do exist with the Affordable Care Act." 
Republican legislators' overlapping concerns and competing interests have presented McConnell with a balancing act. Moderate senators worry that millions of people would lose their insurance. Conservatives say the bill does not do enough to erase Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation. Ms Collins, along with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also takes issue with the bill's defunding of Planned Parenthood. 
The bill's prospects were not helped by an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office saying the measure would cause 22 million Americans to lose medical insurance over the next decade. The report prompted Senator Collins, a key moderate vote, to say she could not support moving forward on the bill as it stands. Ms Collins repeated that after the vote was delayed, saying that she was unsure that "tinkering with the  "Senator Murkowski and I are going to team up to offer an amendment having to do with the elimination of federal funding for Planned Parenthood," Ms Collins said. "We both believe that it makes no sense to exclude Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid programme." 
Passing the measure would hand Mr Trump a legislative win as he seeks to emerge from weeks of questions over Russia's role in last year's US presidential election.Passing the measure would hand Mr Trump a legislative win as he seeks to emerge from weeks of questions over Russia's role in last year's US presidential election.
During a White House press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the President is still "hoping to create consensus that will push this bill over the finish line", adding that he has met with several Republicans who have said they can't support the healthcare measure in its current form, including Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson. 
"The President is optimistic that Republicans will live up to the promise that they've been making to the American people for seven years by repealing and replacing Obamacare," Ms Sanders said.