| | | | Senate GOP doesn't have the votes for its health care bill | | The closely guarded Senate health care bill written entirely behind closed doors finally became public Thursday in a do-or-die moment for the Republican Party's winding efforts to repeal Obamacare, CNN's MJ Lee, Tami Luhby, Lauren Fox and Phil Mattingly report.
The unveiling of the 142-page bill marks the first time the majority of senators got a look at the plan to overhaul America's health care system. With Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pressing for a vote next week, senators now only have a handful of days to decide whether to support or vote against the bill.
But Republicans don't have the votes. In fact, they're at least two votes down after Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah said in a joint statement they're "not ready to vote for this bill." The statement is full of caveats, though, implying the four could get to "yes." They said: "Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor."
What the bill does, in short: It would repeal Obamacare's individual mandate, drastically cut back federal support of Medicaid, and eliminate Obamacare's taxes on the wealthy, insurers and others. With the exception of some key changes -- notably keeping Obamacare's subsidies to help people pay for individual coverage -- the bill is similar to the version of the measure the House passed last month, which President Donald Trump has since called "mean," despite having a Rose Garden celebration with House Republicans. | | "The Senate bill is a wolf in sheep's clothing -- only this wolf's teeth are even sharper than the House bill." | | | | Democrats (and Republicans) have howled about the Senate's secrecy in crafting its health care bill. But Cornell political science professor Tom Pepinsky had some tough -- but important -- advice to Democrats to knock it off. His case got some attention on Twitter this afternoon. | | Pelosi: 'I think I'm worth the trouble' | | The latest on the House Democratic grumbling about Nancy Pelosi remaining minority leader: A dozen Democrats gathered in New York Rep. Kathleen Rice's office this afternoon to talk about the need for a leadership change. Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan were there. The biggest surprise among the attendees might have been the Congressional Black Caucus chairman, Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana.
Back up here -- what's this about? Republicans hammered Democrat Jon Ossoff mercilessly with ads latching him to Pelosi in a high-stakes Georgia special election this week -- and it worked.
Pelosi's defiant tone: The California Democrat made it clear she's not going anywhere, brushing off critics from her own party and saying, "I think I'm worth the trouble." She taunted her Democratic critics, saying, "When it comes to personal ambition and having fun on TV, have your fun. I love the arena. I thrive on competition." | | | We'll just drop this exchange between actress (and liberal activist) Alyssa Milano and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz here without further comment: | | 2 things you might have missed today | | "Pizzagate" shooter sentenced to 4 years in prison: The North Carolina man, Edgar Maddison Welch, 29, who fired an assault rifle inside a Washington pizzeria while investigating an online conspiracy theory known as "Pizzagate" was sentenced to 48 months in prison. More from CNN's Grace Hauck.
SCOTUS narrows grounds for revoking citizenship of naturalized citizens: The case concerned Divna Maslenjak, a naturalized citizen who was deported after lying on her naturalization application. The court unanimously ruled in favor of Maslenjak, holding that the offense had to be materially related to the decision to grant naturalization. More from CNN's Ariane de Vogue and Daniella Diaz. | | | Several dozen protesters were arrested after they gathered and chanted outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office over the GOP health care bill. ... Lawmakers are taking a rare break from bitter partisan politics and heading to the White House for a good old-fashioned picnic. ... Five of the seven Navy sailors who died aboard the USS Fitzgerald when it collided with a cargo ship off the east coast of Japan may have been almost instantly "incapacitated" and died quickly, according to a very preliminary Navy analysis. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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