McConnell: Senate will try to repeal ObamaCare with delayed replacement

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellOVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Biden taps ex-Obama chief for VA | Shutdown looms amid standoff | SCOTUS rules on rape cases in military Sanders, Hawley team up to demand vote on second round of stimulus checks Bette Middler blasts McConnell: 'How did he win with an 18% approval rating?' MORE (R-Ky.) said on Monday night the Senate will try to separate the ObamaCare repeal and replacement efforts, closing the door on the current GOP healthcare legislation. 

"In the coming days, the Senate will vote to take up the House bill with the first amendment in order being what a majority of the Senate has already supported in 2015 and that was vetoed by then-President Obama: a repeal of Obamacare with a two-year delay to provide for a stable transition period," McConnell said in a statement. 

The move means Senate Republicans will try to repeal ObamaCare now, while kicking a replacement until after the 2018 midterm elections.

The 2015 ObamaCare repeal bill passed the Senate 52-47, with Sen. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsGOP senator blocks Smithsonian Latino, women's history museums Bipartisan group unveils new details on COVID-19 relief measure Democratic senators push for ,200 direct payments in new coronavirus relief package MORE (Maine) and then-Sen. Mark KirkMark Steven KirkSenate majority battle snags Biden Cabinet hopefuls The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Senate makes SCOTUS nominee Barrett a proxy for divisive 2020 Senate Republicans scramble to put Trump at arm's length MORE (Ill.) the only Republicans to oppose it. 

McConnell will need to overcome procedural hurdles if he wants the Senate to get to a vote on a repeal-only proposal. He'll need at least 51 senators to support getting on the House-passed legislation, which is being used as a vehicle for any Senate action. 

And separating the two could force Republicans to get 60 votes — and the support of Democrats — on the replacement legislation. 

It wasn't immediately clear when the Senate would try to pass the repeal legislation. The upper chamber is expected to be in session until Aug. 11, when members will leave town until early September.

McConnell's announcement comes after GOP Sens. Mike LeeMichael (Mike) Shumway LeeGOP senator blocks Smithsonian Latino, women's history museums The Hill's Top Lobbyists 2020 Government used Patriot Act to gather website visitor logs in 2019 MORE (Utah) and Jerry MoranGerald (Jerry) MoranBig banks get a big break on pending whistleblower law Sweeping financial crimes bill to hitch a ride on defense measure It's time for Congress to act: Save jobs and stabilize the aerospace industry MORE (Kan.) said Monday night that they couldn't support the current legislation, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

With a 52-seat majority McConnell can only afford to lose two GOP senators and still rely on Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceBiden to campaign in Georgia for Democrats in Senate runoffs Pence introduces 'the Artemis generation' astronauts for moon mission New York attorney general predicts Trump will step down, allow Pence to pardon him MORE break a tie. GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulOn The Money: Millions of Americans in poverty as Black, Native American wages stagnate | Jobless claims jump to 853K | Economists warn against excluding state aid from COVID-19 relief Bette Middler blasts McConnell: 'How did he win with an 18% approval rating?' Senate squabbling sparks shutdown threat MORE (Ky.) were already expected to oppose the legislation. 

With four Republican senators opposed to the current GOP bill, McConnell officially closed the door on the legislation late Monday night. 

“Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful," he said. 

It remains to be seen if McConnell will be able to wrangle enough support to repeal ObamaCare without a replacement plan hashed out. 

Repeal with a delayed replacement was Senate GOP leadership's original plan, which they backed away from earlier this year due to lack of support.  

McConnell himself shot down the idea earlier this month, instead warning that Republicans could be forced to work with Democrats to stabilize the insurance market. 

"We are going to stick with that path," McConnell said at an event in Kentucky earlier this month. "Failure has to be possible or you can't have success."

But even as McConnell continued to push back against separating ObamaCare repeal and replacement, moving a repeal-only bill gained the support of President Trump and a growing number of conservative senators. 

"Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!" Trump tweeted on Monday night after Lee and Moran's statements.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — who teamed up with Lee and Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzMore than 100 House Republicans sign brief backing Texas lawsuit challenging election results GOP lawmaker: Texas election lawsuit represents 'a dangerous violation of federalism' Pennsylvania AG calls Ted Cruz a 'sad sack' after Trump asks for his help in Texas lawsuit MORE (R-Texas) earlier this year to demand "full repeal" — quickly added on Twitter: "As @realDonaldTrump and I discussed last week. Clean repeal now!"

Repealing portions of ObamaCare without enacting a replacement could leave 18 million people without health insurance the following year, according to a report released Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in January.

After the elimination of ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion and insurance subsidies, 27 million people would lose insurance, and then 32 million by 2026, the CBO found.

The 2015 measure guts the law by repealing authority for the federal government to run healthcare exchanges and scrapping subsidies to help people afford plans bought through those exchanges. It zeros out the penalties on individuals who do not buy insurance and employers who do not offer health insurance.

“The Congress must now return to regular order, hold hearings, receive input from members of both parties, and heed the recommendations of our nation's governors so that we can produce a bill that finally provides Americans with access to quality and affordable health care," Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainThe Memo: Democrats grapple with 'elite' tag Arizona GOP asks if followers willing to give their lives to 'stop the steal' Smearing presidential election will turn off young voters and undermine democracy MORE (R-Ariz.) said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamGraham says Stacey Abrams 'conned' Georgia GOP into helping Biden win Chris Cuomo on Lindsey Graham: 'You don't mean save the country. You mean save your ass' Momentum stalls for COVID-19 relief bill MORE (R-S.C.) put forward a third approach on Monday night, a bill he recently proposed with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to give states a chunk of money and let them decide whether to keep much of ObamaCare or try something new.