House GOP Poised to Hold Vote on Repeal of ObamaCare After Supreme Court Ruling
By Cristina Marcos
House Republican leaders are forging ahead with plans to hold a vote Wednesday on a full repeal of President Obama's health care law, after launching debate on the repeal measure Tuesday nearly two weeks after the Supreme Court upheld most of the law as constitutional.
Wednesday will mark the chamber's second vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act in full, though this attempt is being given no greater chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Obama has vowed to veto any such measure, were it to reach his desk.
House Republicans have held 29 other votes aiming to gut specific parts of the law since 2011.
The House Rules Committee on Monday allotted five hours of floor debate for the latest measure. Lawmakers plowed through four and a half hours on Tuesday, with the remaining time set aside for the day of the vote.
Democrats accused the Republicans of wasting time with a display of political theater instead of focusing attention on helping the economy.
“We could spend five hours talking about jobs. We could consider a jobs plan that the president offered before this very body. But we won't. Because we have to go repeal health care again for the thirty-first time,” Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said on the House floor.
“You would have thought the 17th time would be good. The 29th time. The 31st time is like they are going for a record or something,” Ellison said.
Democrats also argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling to preserve the law indicated that Republicans should turn to other issues.
