U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has admitted that a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare is unlikely to succeed after the defections of two Republican lawmakers.
Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Lee of Utah say they will oppose the Republican health care bill, dealing a blow to GOP leaders’ hopes of repealing and replacing President Barack Obama’s legislation.
The two senators issued separate statements late Monday saying they can’t support the legislation. They join two other Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, in opposition.
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With just a 52-48 majority in the Senate, Lee and Moran’s resistance means Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cannot move ahead on the bill.
Lee says he can’t support the bill because it doesn’t repeal all of the Obamacare taxes and doesn’t go far enough to lower premiums.
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Moran says, “We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy.”
McConnell said the development was regretful — and that the Senate will now take another look at a bill passed in the House of Representatives.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that he was “delighted” at the latest development.
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