There are now multiple fronts to Republican health care repeal efforts in the Senate.
The first began quietly Tuesday night, when Minority Leader Mitch McConnell used a procedural prerogative to bypass the committee process and usher the House-passed repeal bill on to the Senate calendar.
Wednesday morning, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), spearheaded a separate effort by introducing a separate repeal bill of his own, along with 34 cosponsors.
“Republicans are standing with the American people who are demanding we repeal this government takeover of health care,” DeMint said in a statement. “Repealing ObamaCare is vital to the future of our nation and the health of our people.”
Neither move assures a prompt vote on repeal. Democrats can stymie both using procedural tools of their own for a pretty long time. But in the Senate it’s basically impossible to deny a determined member a vote on an issue, full stop.
Democratic leaders have acknowledged this much. “Mitch McConnell has the right to offer an amendment,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Sunday, “If he does… we will require [Republicans] to vote on the individual protections in the bill that are very popular and that even some of the new Republican House members have said they support. So in the end, their repeal bill is going to be so full of holes it looks like Swiss cheese.”
Republicans in turn have vowed a counter-push, threatening to force votes on the least popular aspects of the legislation.
We’re not there yet, but each side is encroaching on just this outcome.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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