Senator Schumer has helpfully chimed in on the "Second Failure of Trumpcare"

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the following statement regarding the second failure of Trumpcare: "This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable." "Rather than repeating the same failed, partisan process yet again, Republicans should start from scratch and work with Democrats on a bill that lowers premiums, provides long term stability to the markets and improves our health care system."

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With two Republican senators - Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, a conservative - having said previously they would not support the Senator version of the GOP healthcare bill and would not be swayed - even on a procedural motion to take up the bill for debate - it meant Republicans in the Senate could afford to lose just one more vote (assuming John McCain does return in the near future). Moments ago they lost two, when first Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) and then Sen. Jerry Moran (Kansas) announced on Monday night they will not support taking up the current bill repealing and replacing ObamaCare, thereby blocking the legislation.

"This closed-door process has yielded the [bill], which fails to repeal the Affordable Care Act or address healthcare’s rising costs. For the same reasons I could not support the previous version of this bill, I cannot support this one," Moran said.



Moments earlier, Mike Lee (R-UT) did the same...

My colleague @JerryMoran and I will not support the MTP to this version of BCRA #HealthcareBill — Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) July 18, 2017

... and issued the following statement Monday regarding the Better Care Reconciliation Act:

“After conferring with trusted experts regarding the latest version of the Consumer Freedom Amendment, I have decided I cannot support the current version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act,” Sen. Lee said. “In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations.”

On Twitter, both Moran and Less said that "my colleague @JerryMoran/@SenMike Lee and I will not support the MTP to this version of BCRA."

My colleague @SenMikeLee and I will not support the MTP to this version of BCRA. #HealthcareBill — Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) July 18, 2017

The two defections mean that Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won't have enough support to bring the bill to the floor, and that Obamacare "repeal and replace" is now - if only for the time being - officially dead. The good news: John McCain can come back to work now.



