McConnell aiming for repeal vote 'in the near future'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he wants the Senate to vote again "in the near future" on repealing President Obama's healthcare law.

McConnell had held off on forcing a repeal vote while he waited for the Supreme Court to rule on the healthcare law. Now that the court has upheld it, he said the Senate should follow the House's lead and hold another symbolic vote on repeal.

"We are hoping to have a chance to vote on repealing ObamaCare again," McConnell said at a press conference Tuesday. "I would remind you all that we had that vote in 2011. Every single Republican voted to repeal it. We believe it's appropriate to have that vote again and we'll be working to get that kind of vote in the near future."

McConnell angered conservatives earlier this year by saying he did not want to hold another repeal vote before the November elections. But in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling upholding the healthcare law, Republicans have tried to rally their base around repeal.

The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Both chambers voted on repeal bills early in 2011, after Republicans won their House majority.

No Senate Democrats supported repeal last year. But McConnell and other Republican leaders are hoping to squeeze vulnerable Democrats with another vote now that the Supreme Court has said the health law's individual mandate is a tax.

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