Collins Says ‘No’: The GOP’s Obamacare Repeal Bill Is (Almost Certainly) Dead
Health Care

Collins Says ‘No’: The GOP’s Obamacare Repeal Bill Is (Almost Certainly) Dead

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Obamacare repeal is dead again, at least for now.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) officially came out against the Graham-Cassidy health care reform bill on Monday afternoon, leaving the bill short of the votes Republicans would need to pass it. Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and John McCain (R-AZ) have also said they would vote against the bill, and if they hold to those positions, Republicans, who hold a 52-48 edge in the Senate, would not be able to muster the 50 votes they need.

Further complicating the whip count, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Sunday that he and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) did not support the bill, though Cruz was trying “to get to yes.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has not yet said how she would vote, but she opposed previous repeal bills.

Collins issued her statement shortly after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office issued a broad preliminary analysis of the legislation that found that it would cut $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending through 2026 and leave “millions” more Americans without comprehensive insurance coverage.

Read Collins’ full statement:

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