Advertisements

During an interview on ABC’s This Week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that if Republicans can’t pass McConnell’s healthcare bill, they should repeal Obamacare, and then take a couple of years to work on replacing it. Cruz completely screwed over McConnell by undercutting the ACA replacement bill.

Video:

.@tedcruz: "If we can't get this done right now, I agree with the president, then let's honor the promise of repeal." #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/4OfWT8AlpR — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 9, 2017

Advertisements

Cruz said, “Let’s start with the language in 2015 that just about every Republican in both houses voted for, let’s pass that, have it go into effect a year or two years from now, and spend that time debating the replacement. At the time, that proposal was rejected by leadership and the administration, but if we can’t get this done right now, then I agree with President. Let’s honor the promise on repeal and spend more time to get it done.”

What Cruz was suggesting is that Republicans repeal Obamacare and replace it with nothing, which would result in 32 million Americans losing their health insurance instead of the 22 million under McConnell’s bill. If Republicans can’t pass McConnell’s bill, Cruz’s idea has no chance of passing the Senate.

The reason why Republicans voted to repeal and not replace in 2015 was that it was a show vote that they knew would be vetoed by Obama. Now that they are in charge, and faced with being held responsible when people lose their coverage, many Republicans are singing a different tune.

Mitch McConnell is trying to get his bill passed by selling it to Republicans as their last chance to get rid of Obamacare. Ted Cruz just took the Majority Leader’s knees out and undercut his entire argument.

If Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee won’t support the McConnell health care bill, it’s dead, and Cruz’s arrogance will mean that Obamacare remains the law of the land.