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Republicans oppose healthcare plans leaving party without majority | Republicans oppose healthcare plans leaving party without majority |
(35 minutes later) | |
Two more Republican senators have said they oppose their party's replacement for President Obama's health system, making it impossible for the bill to pass in its current form. | |
Mike Lee and Jerry Moran say the new legislation does not go far enough in repealing the health legislation. | |
Republicans have been divided on the issue, with moderates concerned about the effects on the most vulnerable. | |
President Donald Trump made repealing Obamacare a key campaign pledge. | President Donald Trump made repealing Obamacare a key campaign pledge. |
The plan retained key Obamacare taxes on the wealthy, while allowing insurers to offer less coverage and imposing sharp cuts to healthcare for the poor. | |
With the two new opponents, Republicans - who hold 52 seats - no longer have enough votes to pass the bill in the 100-member Senate. | |
The two senators simultaneously announced their opposition to the planned reforms, joining senators Rand Paul and Susan Collins, who were also against the bill. | |
Mr Moran said "we should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy" while ofor Mr Lee, "in addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes [the bill] doesn't go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations." | |
Reacting to what is being seen as a significant setback, Mr Trump urged Republicans to repeal the "failing Obamacare now and work on a new healthcare plan that will start from a clean slate". | |
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would try to pass a repeal of Obamacare with a two-year delay implementation that would provide a "stable transition period" to a new legislation. | |
Correspondents, however, say that this plan has little chance to pass as under the interim period millions would be left without healthcare. | |
Analysis: The end of repeal-and-replace war? | |
By Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter | |
In the end the death blow to the latest iteration of Obamacare repeal came from the right flank. | |
Mr McConnell was always going to have to walk a fine line in his effort to keep both moderates and hard-core conservatives in party on board with his healthcare reform proposal. After his first draft failed to garner sufficient support, he came out with a new version that moved farther to the right in key areas while throwing money to keep the moderates satiated. | |
That strategy worked in the House, where Freedom Caucus arch-conservatives and just enough moderates came around to rescue the legislation from death's doorstep. | |
This time the entire rickety structure came tumbling down. The Senate may very will try to vote on straight-up repeal, as the president has suggested - one with a two-year fuse - but it face long odds in winning a majority support. If and when that fails, it's back to the drawing board for Republicans. | |
This isn't the end of congressional efforts to pass healthcare legislation. But it's likely the end of the repeal-and-replace war as it's been waged for the past six months. | |
Republican Senator John McCain, who is recovering from surgery in his home state of Arizona, called for a bipartisan strategy to discuss the plan. | |
"The Congress must now return to regular order, hold hearings, receive input from members of both parties," he said in a statement. | |
Democrats have said they will not co-operate to repeal Obamacare, but that they can work in a bipartisan way to improve it. | Democrats have said they will not co-operate to repeal Obamacare, but that they can work in a bipartisan way to improve it. |
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer said on Twitter: "This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable." | Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer said on Twitter: "This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable." |
A similar version of the bill was approved by the House of Representatives in May, but analysts predicted a more turbulent process in the Senate, given the different positions. | A similar version of the bill was approved by the House of Representatives in May, but analysts predicted a more turbulent process in the Senate, given the different positions. |
Congress has been delaying its summer holiday in a bid to overturn former President Barack Obama's 2010 legislation. | Congress has been delaying its summer holiday in a bid to overturn former President Barack Obama's 2010 legislation. |