Pressure’s on Murkowski, Sullivan as Senate prepares for health care vote
The likely vote of
Much of the visible pressure on lawmakers, such as call-in campaigns and advertisements, has been from pro-Obamacare forces. But Republican lawmakers are facing enormous pressure from within their own party to stick to the promises uttered over and again for the last seven years.
Murkowski and Sen.
But whether Murkowski and Sullivan would vote for any repeal and replace bill offered up this week remains unknown, as negotiations head through fits and starts, and both senators remained unsure what bill would come up on the
In a letter to both lawmakers this weekend, Babcock sought to remind them of the promises made to
"I recognize that it is the job of those we elect to administrate and legislate. I respect those spheres of responsibility and fully appreciate that the complexity of crafting and amending legislation is your responsibility and not that of the Party," Babcock said in the letter.
"However, there are times when a specific issue is so central to our message, to our platform and to our promises to voters that I am persuaded a public statement from the
Since 2010, repealing the ACA has been central to the
In an interview Monday, Babcock said he just could not imagine a situation where voters granted
Babcock said he was not attempting to weigh in on what
But "I think it would be a true mark of failure on the
That same message came from a lectern in the
"Remember: Repeal and replace, repeal and replace. They kept saying it over and over again. Every Republican running for office promised immediate relief from this disastrous law," Trump said Monday.
"Any senator who votes against starting debate is telling America that you are fine with the Obamacare nightmare, which is what it is," he said.
McConnell took to the
The majority leader urged his colleagues in the
"That means voting to begin the open amendment process. That means voting to kick off a robust debate in which Senators from all parties can represent the views of their constituents. It means voting to proceed. And that will occur tomorrow," McConnell said Monday.
But Murkowski and Sullivan weren't only hearing political pressure from the party Monday. A slew of health care organizations and companies urged caution, and questioned the quality of the bills offered.
The proposals would result in "higher health care costs for Alaskans, even for those covered with employer-based insurance, and fewer Alaskans with health insurance. From what we know, the proposals would also be devastating for
Moreover, Hultberg criticized the process by which the
There are several options for a vote Tuesday.
The Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act -- already passed by the
That would, presumably, give
But it's a nonstarter for Murkowski now, she said last week. Murkowski, worried about the prospects of undoing Medicaid expansion and other provisions of the law without a plan for replacement, said she would vote no on a motion to proceed with debate on that bill.
Sullivan said he would vote yes on the bill, as he had in 2015.
The
Neither Murkowski nor Sullivan has clearly stated whether they would vote for the bill. The senators did secure
The
Neither Murkowski nor Sullivan has expressed a recent opinion on the House-passed bill, but
Murkowski said she didn't get the sense that the bill was built on "good policy," but instead through an effort "to find votes."
"I've talked to the Secretary (of
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Republicans Collins, Murkowski oppose GOP health vote
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