President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Senate Republicans are “very close” to passing their plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, but added that if it fails, “that’s OK”, The Hill reports.
“I think the Senate bill is going to be great. So we’re going to talk and we’re going to see what we can do. But we’re getting very close”, Trump said, at the same time conceding that the legislation might not pass in the Senate.
“This will be great if we get it done, and if we don’t get it done, it’s just going to be something that we’re not going to like and that’s OK and I understand that very well. But I think we have a chance to do something very, very important for the public, very, very important for the people of our country that we love, he added.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed back the vote on the ObamaCare overhaul until after the July 4 holiday recess, after five Senate Republicans said they would not support a procedural vote to begin debate on the legislation this week. A Congressional Budget Office analysis showed the plan would result in 22 million more people becoming uninsured.
With Democrats united in opposition to the plan, Republican leaders can only afford two defections and still advance it. Lawmakers are expected to face intense lobbying from their constituents and outside groups in their home states during the recess.
Trump tried to rally the troops to remain on board by holding a rare working session in the East Room, as he sat at a long table between Senator Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, two key centrist GOP holdouts.
“So we’re going to talk and we’re going to see what we can do. But for the country, we have to have healthcare. And it can’t be ObamaCare, which is melting down”, Trump said, adding that “the other side is saying all sorts of things before they knew what the bill was”.
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