House To Vote On Repeal Of ObamaCare January 12th

Doug Mataconis · · 7 comments

One week after they are sworn into office, the new Republican House majority will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

WASHINGTON – Republican leaders in the new House say they’ll hold a vote next week to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The announcement of the Jan. 12 vote by the No. 2 House Republican, Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, sets the stage for a showdown with the Democratic-led Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said earlier Monday that Democrats in that chamber will block any attempt to repeal the landmark legislation extending coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people.

As I’ve noted already, this is a purely symbolic vote since a repeal bill will not get through the Senate, but there is one interesting question; how many House Democrats will vote for repeal:

House Democrats who voted against the healthcare bill last year are weighing whether to side with the GOP during next week’s vote to repeal the legislation. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), a liberal lawmaker who voted against the healthcare reform law because it taxes some healthcare benefits starting in 2018, told The Hill he won’t support Republicans’ repeal effort. Three other House Democrats who voted “no” on the healthcare bill in March have already said they won’t vote for the repeal bill when it comes to the floor next Wednesday. Republicans are hoping a number of Democrats will join their repeal effort and possibly create pressure on the Democrat-controlled Senate to get on board. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the incoming chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, told Fox News Sunday that Republicans hoped to get at least the Democrats who voted “no” on their side.

If the GOP isn’t able to get most of those previous “no” votes to vote with them next week, this is going to look like a purely partisan battle.