Senate Republicans want to vote on a health-care bill this month, maybe regardless of outcome

Senate Republicans just want to be done with ObamaCare
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Senate Republicans want to vote on health-care legislation before the July 4 break, but they have some obstacles to overcome. The first is they don't have a bill. On Tuesday, the Senate GOP caucus will meet to discuss the early draft being written by a working group of 13 senators, and test the waters for how to finish legislation that can get the support of 50 Senate Republicans. The second problem is time: To get a vote by June 30, the start of the July 4 break, Politico notes, the Senate has about 10 working days to finalize the bill and submit it to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring.

The House has not sent its version of the American Health Care Act to the Senate yet, because the Senate parliamentarian is still determining if the House bill meets the strict requirements to allow Senate Republicans to pass their version with a simple majority. Democrats are arguing that it doesn't, in part because of a provision that could affect Native Americans, and if the parliamentarian agrees with them, the House would need to amend the AHCA and vote on it again. The ruling could come this week. That's the third problem, and the fourth is that it isn't clear Senate Republicans can agree on a plan that would get 50 votes.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.