WASHINGTON — A Republican senator on Sunday warned against rushing a vote on a GOP bill to repeal and replace the nation’s health care law, saying both parties deserve a chance to fully debate the bill and propose changes after it was drafted in secret.
“The Senate is not a place where you can just cook up something behind closed doors and rush it for a vote,” said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. “So the first step in this may be crafted among a small group of people, but then everyone’s going to get to weigh in.”
His comments come as Senate Republicans are working hard to finalize legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, without a formal, open drafting session. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has said he hopes to bring a bill to the floor for a vote within the next two weeks.
But Rubio said he believes the process could take longer and urged the Senate to slow down.
These are striking comments from a Republican senator whose party is seeking to push through legislation without the help of Democrats.
President Donald Trump has been eager for quick action, although in a closed-door luncheon with 15 GOP senators last week, he described a House-passed bill as “mean.” Trump said he wanted the Senate version to be “more generous,” according to congressional sources.
“It is going to take days and weeks to work through that in the Senate,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
The bill passed by House Republicans last month would phase out in 2020 a Medicaid expansion to additional low-income people. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the House bill would cause 23 million people to lose insurance over a decade and leave many sicker and older consumers with much higher costs.
Republicans hold a narrow 52-48 majority in the Senate, meaning the party can only afford to have two senators oppose the repeal and replace bill for it to pass with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tiebreaking vote. No Democrat is expected to support the repeal effort.
