Sen. McConnell Issues Remarks on Senate Republicans’ Effort to Repeal Obamacare

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The office of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued the following floor remarks regarding the Senate Republican effort to repeal Obamacare:

"One of the Senate's very first acts this Congress was to pass the legislative tools necessary to repeal Obamacare. We did so because the American people, who had suffered for years under the failures of Obamacare, were calling out for relief. Everyone knows about Obamacare's skyrocketing costs and its plummeting choices.

"Too often, however, this discussion seems to veer into the abstract. These are not just numbers on a page. These are the lives of real people. These are the men and women we represent, Americans who are hurting, middle-class families who deserve better than Obamacare's failures. We worked hard to provide them with a better way. We did so in the knowledge that this task would not be easy. We understood that it would not come quickly. But we knew that it was the right thing to do, so we pushed forward anyway.

"I believe we must continue to push forward now. I regret that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failures of Obamacare will not be successful. That doesn't mean we should give up. We will now try a different way to bring the American people relief from Obamacare -- I think we owe them at least that much. In the coming days, the Senate will take up and vote on a repeal of Obamacare combined with a stable, two-year transition period as we work toward patient-centered health care. A majority of the Senate voted to pass the same repeal legislation in 2015. President Obama vetoed it then. President Trump will sign it now.

"I imagine many Democrats were celebrating last night. I hope they consider what they were celebrating. The American people are hurting, they need relief, and it's regretful that our Democratic colleagues decided early on that they did not want to engage with us seriously in the process to deliver that relief. But this doesn't have to be the end of the story.

"Passing the repeal legislation will allow us to accomplish what we need to do on behalf of our people. Our Democratic friends have spoken a lot recently about wanting bipartisan solutions. Passing this legislation will provide the opportunity for Senators of all parties to engage, with a fresh start, with a new beginning for the American people."