June 27 (UPI) — Senate Majority Leader Mitchell McConnell announced Tuesday he will delay a vote on healthcare reform until after the July 4 recess amid growing Republican opposition.
McConnell, of Kentucky, said he wants to make changes to the bill and vote after senators return from the holiday break.
“We will not be on the bill this week, but we will still be working to get at least 50 people in a comfortable place,” McConnell said at a news conference at the Capitol.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on July 11 for three weeks then break for one month in August. A senior Senate Republican aide told CNN that the plan is to reach a compromise bill by the end of this week then give members the full week to examine it.
McConnell said all Republican senators were invited to the White House at 4 p.m. to meet with President Donald Trump.
The delay comes amid increasing opposition to even have the bill move past a procedural vote.
With all Democrats opposing the bill, the Republicans can lose only two of their 52 members’ votes.
Mike Lee, of Utah, became the fifth senator to say he would vote against the procedural step to advance plans to repeal and replace the ACA, known as Obamacare.
On Monday, three Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — said they would vote against the motion to begin debate, joining Dean Heller of Nevada, who made the same pledge Friday.
Collins and Heller are considered moderates. Also expressing reservations are Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
Marco Rubio of Florida was seeking input from his governor, Republican Rick Scott, who was scheduled to meet with Vice President Mike Pence and McConnell.
Ted Cruz of Texas, a former presidential candidate like Rubio, has expressed opposition to bill as it stands. After meeting with McConnell on Tuesday, he told CNN, “It continues to be a work in progress.”
Opposition grew Monday after the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the Republican plan. The CBO study estimates that the Better Care Reconciliation Act will leave 22 million more people uninsured by 2026. It will also cut Medicaid by $772 billion over the next 10 years and reduce tax credits and selected coverage provisions by $408 billion.
The House approved legislation on May 4 in which 23 million more would be uninsured.
