News

GOP senators want to nix August recess to pass health care bill

WASHINGTON — Nearly a dozen Republican senators demanded on Friday that Congress cancel its August recess if the upper chamber fails to make “meaningful progress” on health care and other issues.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is trying to craft a health care bill that satisfies his caucus, a group of GOP senators said 33 days in session is not “enough time to adequately address the issues that demand immediate attention.”

“Delivering meaningful results was never assumed to be easy but the millions of Americans who placed their confidence in our leadership expect our full and best effort,” wrote the senators. “Therefore, we respectfully request that you consider truncating, if not completely foregoing, the scheduled August state work period.”





The letter was signed by Sens. David Perdue of Georgia, Steve Daines of Montana, Joni Ernst of Iowa, John Kennedy of Louisiana, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Luther Strange of Alabama, Dan Sullivan of Arkansas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

In addition to passing an ObamaCare replacement bill, the senators noted that work must be done to pass a 2018 budget resolution, renew the government’s borrowing capacity, and begin tax reform before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

In a separate statement Friday, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) urged President Trump to push the Senate to remain in Washington if it fails to repeal as much of ObamaCare as possible upon returning from its current recess on July 10.





“After we gave our word to repeal and replace Obamacare’s monstrosity, we should not go back to our states during August as the American people struggle under fewer choices and skyrocketing costs,” Sasse wrote in a letter to the president.

A Senate GOP aide previously told The Hill that canceling the August recess is highly unlikely because “there’s usually a trip somewhere” planned for a congressional delegation and it would be nearly impossible to get all 52 Republicans on board with the plan.





Share this: