Sens. Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio announce that they’ll oppose a fast-track budget package to dismantle parts of Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood because it doesn’t go far enough to fully repeal the health-care law.
Reports Politico:
Using the fast-track procedure, known as reconciliation, was a way for the GOP-controlled Congress to send an Obamacare repeal straight to Obama’s desk – since a reconciliation package can avoid a filibuster and thus only needs 51 votes to pass. There are 54 GOP senators, and losing the trio of conservatives means McConnell, the Senate majority leader, cannot lose any more votes to pass the reconciliation package.
A loss would be a political embarrassment for Senate Republicans.
“Each of us campaigned on a promise to fully repeal Obamacare and a reconciliation bill is the best way to send such legislation to President Obama’s desk,” Cruz, Lee and Rubio said a joint statement. “If this bill cannot be amended so that it fully repeals Obamacare pursuant to Senate rules, we cannot support this bill.”
