‘Promise Kept’ By Senate Republicans

The First Significant Repeal Of Obama’s Signature Health Care Law To Land On His Desk’

‘A Major Event In The Senate,’ ‘Fulfilled A Longtime Pledge To Voters’
“Republicans on Thursday night achieved something of a milestone in their five-year battle against the Affordable Care Act: They finally passed a bill repealing the law through the United States Senate. …passage in the Senate means that after dozens of failed tries by Republicans in the House, President Obama will get the opportunity to stamp his veto on a bill eviscerating the law that, in the popular parlance if not in text, bears his name.” (“Promise Kept’: The Senate Finally Votes to Repeal Obamacare,” The Atlantic, 12/4/15)

• “…delivering on the promise of the Senate majority they won last fall to put a bill on Obama’s desk. It will frame the choice in 2016 clearer than ever before: Elect a Republican president, and you can be rid of this abomination once and for all.” (“Promise Kept’: The Senate Finally Votes to Repeal Obamacare,” The Atlantic, 12/4/15)

“…the grandaddy of all conservative wins — passage of a bill that would deliver a ‘mortal wound’ to Obamacare. … fulfills a promise they made to voters who handed them control of Capitol Hill in last year’s mid-term elections.” (“GOP Set To Pass Obamacare Repeal For First Time,” Washington Times, 12/1/15)

“The leader got two major accomplishments on President Barack Obama’s desk, including a five-year quest to repeal Obamacare and a five-year transportation bill that really no one thought was going to happen six months ago. Now the argument on the Hill from Republicans will boil down to this: Obama signed our transportation bill, but the only way to get repeal signed is with a [Republican president].” < (Politico’s “Huddle,” 12/4/2015)

“The Senate voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood Thursday evening, clearing a nearly six-year hurdle that kept previous attempts to undo the health care law from reaching President Obama’s desk.” (“Senate OKs Obamacare Repeal Despite Veto Threat,” RealClearPolitics, 12/4/2015)

• “Republicans have been vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare for more than five years, voting dozens of times to dismantle key aspects of the law. This marks the first time Obama will actually have to bring out his veto pen to save the landmark law, as congressional Republicans used a budget procedure known as reconciliation to bypass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.” (“Senate OKs Obamacare Repeal Despite Veto Threat,” RealClearPolitics, 12/4/2015)

“By voting to nullify Obamacare -- the signature domestic accomplishment of the Obama administration -- GOP congressional leaders fulfilled a longtime pledge to voters and rank-and-file members to get a repeal to President Barack Obama's desk, even though he will veto it.” (“Senate passes budget bill repealing Obamacare, defunding Planned Parenthood,” CNN, 12/4/2015)

“Thursday’s vote was a major event in the Senate, as Democrats never allowed a standalone vote on an ObamaCare repeal bill when they controlled the chamber. Democrats were also unable to block the GOP measure, which was brought to the floor under budget reconciliation rules that prevented a filibuster.” (“Senate Approves Bill Repealing Much Of Obamacare,” The Hill, 12/3/2015)

• “The measure guts the law by repealing authority for the federal government to run healthcare exchanges, and scrapping subsidies to help people afford plans bought through those exchanges. It zeros out the penalties on individuals who do not buy insurance and employers who do not offer health insurance.” (“Senate Approves Bill Repealing Much Of Obamacare,” The Hill, 12/3/2015)
• “It repeals the expansion of Medicaid adopted by 30 states as well as many of the law’s tax increases, which the House bill left in place.” (“Senate Approves Bill Repealing Much Of Obamacare,” The Hill, 12/3/2015)
• “It cuts funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund and eliminates risk adjustment programs from insurance companies that lose money because of the law.” (“Senate Approves Bill Repealing Much Of Obamacare,” The Hill, 12/3/2015)

“The overall GOP bill headed to the Senate would effectively defang the health law's requirements for individual and employer-provided coverage by annulling the fines that enforce them.” (“Senate Set To OK Republican Bill Unraveling Health Care Law," Associated Press, 12/3/15)

“…McConnell and Senate Republicans are on the verge of clearing legislation shredding some of the most controversial aspects of Obamacare — the first significant repeal of Obama’s signature health care law to land on his desk since Obamacare passed more than five years ago.” (“Behind McConnell's Campaign To Win Over Cruz,” Politico, 12/3/15)

SEN. McCONNELL: ‘We Will … Fulfill The Promise We Made To Our Constituents’
SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Earlier this year, Senate Republicans passed a balanced budget, and with it the necessary procedural tools - via the budget reconciliation process - to bring an end to the nightmare of Obamacare. Americans have faced skyrocketing health care costs, rampant fraud and more government between them and their doctors. And Republicans are united in working to repeal the broken promises of Obamacare and allow our country to start over fresh with real health reform that Americans deserve.  We will continue our effort to use reconciliation - as the budget makes clear - to fulfill the promise we made to our constituents.” (Sen. Lee, Press Release, 7/28/15)

SEN. MIKE ENZI (R-WY): “‘With approval of this budget reconciliation bill, the Senate today has passed the most comprehensive and far-reaching repeal of Obamacare that will actually reach the president’s desk.’ Said Chairman Enzi. ‘Most Americans are still opposed to this unprecedented expansion of government intrusion into health care because it represents nothing more than broken promises, higher costs and fewer choices. … The bill the Senate has approved today is the first step in building a bridge from Obamacare’s broken promises to  better access to high-quality health care for each and every American.’” (“Senate Approves Far-Reaching Obamacare Repeal,” Press Release, 12/3/15)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT): “Today, Senate Republicans fulfilled our promise to end the negative consequences of Obamacare by repealing the President’s unaffordable health law.  It’s now time the Obama Administration and Democrats own up to the law’s failures, reverse course, and work with Republicans to forge patient-centered reforms that reduce costs and improve care for the American people.” (Sen. Hatch, Press Release, 12/3/15)

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): “I extend [this invitation] to our next president: Forget about party, forget about this side or that side, and side with the American people whose premiums went up, who lost plans they liked, whose Medicare has been raided, whose state budgets have been destroyed, and whose jobs have been lost. Work with Republicans in Congress to fix the damage Obamacare has done to health care in America. Work with us to replace Obamacare with real reforms that lower costs so more Americans can afford to buy insurance.” (Sen. Alexander, Press Release, 12/1/15)

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