Senate Democrats held a talkathon from the Senate floor on Monday night, ahead of a key hurdle on the GOP effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

The floor protest, which stretched late into Monday night, comes as Republicans plan to try to proceed Tuesday to the House-passed healthcare bill, paving the way for Senate GOP action on an ObamaCare repeal-and-replace effort.

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With a 52-seat majority, Republicans have a narrow margin to be able to start debate on their healthcare proposals. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) needs 50 senators to agree to start debate.

"We are on the verge of taking a vote on a bill that objectively will rein a level of devastation down on this country that's really hard to fathom," he said.

Republicans have yet to say if their end goal is to move ObamaCare repeal and replacement in the same bill, or repeal ObamaCare with a delayed replacement. Democrats aren't expected to support either.

Jack Reed "Not one of these options is acceptable, and I'm skeptical that my colleagues will be able to come up with a better solution in the next 24 hours," said Sen.(D-R.I.).

"Here's the good news. If three Republicans — three of 52 — will step up and say, stop, we can do better as a Senate, that will be the end of this terrible endeavor," he said from the Senate floor on Monday evening.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon WhitehouseHillicon Valley: Murky TikTok deal raises questions about China's role | Twitter investigating automated image previews over apparent algorithmic bias | House approves bill making hacking federal voting systems a crime House approves legislation making hacking voting systems a federal crime LWCF modernization: Restoring the promise MORE (D-R.I) added that his GOP colleagues should not be controlled by a "cabal of creepy billionaires."

Democrats have ripped Republicans for the closed-door process used to craft their healthcare legislation, including an initial working group convened by McConnell that didn't include female senators.

They're stepping up their messaging war against the healthcare bill ahead of Tuesday's vote. In addition to the slate of floor speeches, Democrats and constituents went live on Facebook from off the Senate floor.

Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell BrownBipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Emboldened Democrats haggle over 2021 agenda Hillicon Valley: Russia 'amplifying' concerns around mail-in voting to undermine election | Facebook and Twitter take steps to limit Trump remarks on voting | Facebook to block political ads ahead of election MORE (D-Ohio), who is up for reelection in 2018, is holding a healthcare town hall later this week.

If the current GOP healthcare effort fails, Sen. Lamar Alexander Andrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderGraham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Washington on edge amid SCOTUS vacancy This week: Supreme Court fight over Ginsburg's seat upends Congress's agenda MORE (R-Tenn.) has said he would hold a hearing in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee focused on insurance prices. McConnell said it was his "suspicion" that there could be hearings.

Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who presided over part of the Democratic marathon session, said there had been "a lot of innuendo" about the GOP healthcare effort on Monday night.

"Let me talk about who's hurting people in America today ... [Democrats] want a big government solution that gives them more power," Perdue said during an impassioned floor speech. "ObamaCare is hurting people right now."

He knocked the Congressional Budget Office, saying it doesn't "know what they're doing," and called the Medicaid expansion "bribery from the federal government."

Perdue also, echoing Trump, accused Democrats of slow-walking the president's picks and warned it could compromise bigger GOP agenda items such as tax reform.

"It's outrageous. The American people ought to be upset ... [Democrats] are dragging their feet," he said.

"Cancer is going to find a match in Senator McCain. This touches us in this body," he said.

Updated 10:31 p.m.