House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy dodges when asked if he's confident the health-care bill will pass the Senate
Moments after the House narrowly passed the GOP's health-care bill Thursday in a 217-213 vote, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declined to give a straight answer on whether he thought the bill would actually make it through the Senate. When asked in an interview with CNN if he's "confident" the bill will pass its next big test, McCarthy dodged, instead listing a few other things he's confident about.
"I'm confident that we just made a vote to make sure we're going to lower premiums, give people greater choice, and stop this death spiral that's going forward," McCarthy said. He said now that the House has "moved" the bill, the Senate can go ahead and make its adjustments. "We'll solve this once and for all," McCarthy vowed.
If Republican Sen. Rob Portman's (Ohio) feelings about the bill are any indication, McCarthy might've had good reason to dodge. Portman said he's "already made clear" that he doesn't "support the House bill as currently constructed." The bill needs 51 votes to pass the Senate; there are 52 Republicans in the upper chamber.
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Watch McCarthy respond to the question below. Becca Stanek
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