McConnell Plans ‘Repeal Now, Replace Later’ Vote After Trumpcare’s Failure

After losing two critical votes on the Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Monday night that he will bring a bill that would “repeal Obamacare with a two-year delay.” The news came as President Trump took to Twitter to urge Republicans to “repeal failing Obamacare now” and begin working on a new plan from a “clean slate.” After Republican Sens. Mike Lee and Jerry Moran declared their intentions to vote against moving the bill forward—joining colleagues Susan Collins and Rand Paul—the Republican proposal became effectively dead in its current form. “This closed-door process has yielded the [bill], which fails to repeal the Affordable Care Act or address healthcare’s rising costs,” Moran said in a statement. “For the same reasons I could not support the previous version of this bill, I cannot support this one.” After the announcement, McConnell vowed that “in the coming days, the Senate will vote” to take up a repeal of Obamacare “with a two-year delay to provide for a stable transition period.”