Trump says 'OK' Senate Republicans delaying healthcare bill vote

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US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that if the health care bill to repeal and replace Obamacare fails to pass in the Senate, he won't like it but "that's OK."

He made the remarks shortly after Senate Republicans decided to delay the voting until after the July 4 recess due to a lack of supporting votes.

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with Republican Senators on health care, next to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), in the East Room of the White House on June 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. /VCG Photo

"This will be great if we get it done and if we don't get it done it's going to be something that we're not going to like and that's OK and I can understand that." Trump told a gathering of Senate Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted Tuesday that the Republican effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare isn't dead, despite the Senate vote delay.

"No, no, we're continuing to talk about it. It's a very complicated subject. I remember how challenging it was for the Democrats," he told reporters, "We're still optimistic we're going to get there."

United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters following the Republican Party luncheon in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. /VCG Photo

With 52 seats, the Republican Party can only afford to lose two senators and still rely on Vice President Pence to break a tie.

Pushback from several senators appeared too great to overcome this week, especially after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office announced Monday that the Senate bill would increase the number of people without health insurance to 22 million by 2026.

Earlier on Tuesday, four Republican senators said they would not support an initial vote on the bill, while five have said they wouldn't support the bill as is without changes.

The entire Democratic Party is expected to stand against the bill, which means the Republicans can only lose support of two lawmakers in the Senate.

Before the budget office released its report on Monday, the American Medical Association announced its opposition to the bill, while the National Governors Association urged the Senate to slow down.

Republicans have blasted Obamacare over the past eight years for various reasons, such as driving up the cost of healthcare and leaving consumers with fewer choices. Under Obamacare, those who do not purchase healthcare are levied a tax and many Americans have to pay high deductibles.

In contrast, Democrats argue that Obamacare has helped some 20 million Americans now covered because of the law, while citing other benefits they believe have occurred, such as better preventive care.

Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua that the Republican Party is going to have to carefully thread the needle between the concerns of moderate Republican senators and those who are very conservative on both healthcare policy and spending.

(Source: Xinhua)

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