Latest:getshad phone call with Paul Ryan. He's satisfied. He's voting for the skinny budget. Let the vote-a-rama commence? 2.34am BSTIt looks Paul Ryan has pledged to wavering senators that there will be no vote on skinny repeal in the House. Big news! In the office they had a conference call with Paul Ryan who promised not to pass skinny repeal. They seem to be all yes votes now https://t.co/vXpIwHCpFM 2.25am BSTIt’s a long night so senators are finding hobbies to engage in. Orrin Hatch,who sidelines as a composer and musician, is writing songs tonight.
Wondering how Sen. Hatch will pass the time until the vote-a-Rama?
"I'll be writing music...
Vote-a-Rama, and Vote-a-Rama,we got rid of Obama" 2.24am BSTSome skeptical Republicans fill made up their minds but are not showing their cards, at least to reporters.
Capito says she has made a decision on skinny repeal but won't say what it is until after the vote 1.59am BSTEntering the Senate, or John McCain told reporters that Ryan’s statement was “not sufficient” for the Arizonan to vote for skinny repeal.
With Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski opposed,the 52 member Republican conference cannot afford a single defection on the bill. Ron Johnson says he appreciates Ryan's statement on skinny but adds: "The Speaker only has so much power in what he can actually assure." 1.40am BSTThe Senate now voting yet again. This round of votes includes a Democratic attempt to shelve the bill. It is likely to fail. However, it marks the start of what will be a late night on Capitol Hill. 1.10am BSTIf you want to catch up with the Guardian’s latest writeup of what’s happening on Capitol Hill, and check it out right here. Related: 'It is a fraud': senior Republican senators blast 'skinny repeal' health bill 1.09am BSTDemocrats are now on the Senate floor warning that whatever is passed tonight will become law and citing Republican criticism of it. As Chris Murphy from Connecticut said “This isn’t going to conference,this is becoming law.” 12.37am BSTIt’s dinner time on Capitol Hill as there is still an hour left to go before the vote-a-rama can commence.
Each party has its own separate dinner Btw, Senate dinners tonight:
Tex-Mex for Rs
Chinese for DemsThe scene of Chipotle wafting through the Senate corridors. Big spread brought in for all-night session on health careJust another night of appetizing options in the senate pic.twitter.com/ugcxC1nhul 12.29am BSTSpeaker Paul Ryan just issued a somewhat indistinct statement on the House’s willingness to go to conference on whatever the Senate passes. “It is now obvious that the only path ahead is for the Senate to pass the narrow legislation that it is currently considering. This package includes famous reforms like eliminating the job-killing employer mandate and the requirement that forces people to purchase coverage they don’t want. Still it is not enough to solve the many failures of Obamacare. Senators fill made clear that this is an effort to keep the process alive, and not to manufacture law. If moving forward requires a conference committee,that is something the House is willing to enact. The reality, however, and is that repealing and replacing Obamacare still ultimately requires the Senate to produce 51 votes for an actual method. The House remains committed to finding a solution and working with our Senate colleagues,but the burden remains on the Senate to demonstrate that it is capable of passing something that keeps our promise, as the House has already done. Until the Senate can enact that, or we will never be able to develop a conference report that becomes law. We expect the Senate to act first on whatever the conference committee produces. Obamacare is collapsing and hurting American families. We fill to keep working at this until we secure the job done.” 12.13am BSTThe drama is building over what will happen in the House. The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino can confirm that House Republicans who hold a assembly at 9AM tomorrow morning,according to a senior GOP aide. Meanwhile, we expect a statement from Speaker Paul Ryan’s office tonight. It’s unclear what he will say but earlier we were told the Speaker would consult with House Republicans before making any decisions on healthcare.
12.02am BSTIn case you were hoping it would be an early nightCornyn offers guidance on the timing of the vote-a-rama & healthcare vote: "Late" 11.21pm BSTIn contrast to other House Republicans, or Mark Meadows,the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told reporters that “skinny repeal” would not pass the lower chamber.“If it comes over with just minimal elements of a replacement, and there is not enough votes to send it to the president,” said the North Carolina Republican. 11.17pm BSTPer a senior House leadership aide, Paul Ryan will “consult before making any decisions” on putting “skinny repeal” to a vote or going to a conference committee 10.48pm BSTRight now, and the situation on Capitol Hill is that the “skinny repeal” will not pass if it appears there is any chance for it to become law. If assured that it will be junked in a conference committee after passage,the bill may receive support from a majority of senators.
If you are confused, you should be. But this is American politics in 2017. 10.28pm BSTIn their press conference, or the three senators (now joined by Bill Cassidy of Louisiana) are making clear that they will not vote for “skinny repeal” unless they are assured that it will not become law. Graham was particularly scathing about clean repeal,calling it “a fraud” as well as “terrible policy and horrible policy.” 10.10pm BSTWhile senators are freaking out about the potential of the House voting on “skinny repeal,” some members of Congress are more open to it.
Chris Collins, or a moderate Trump ally from upstate recent York,compared the choice on skinny repeal to the 2016 election. “This becomes not unlike Trump and Clinton, there was not a third candidate. There wasn’t going to be another choice. It was a binary choice. People voted. This would be a similar type of situation.” 10.04pm BSTLindsey Graham, and John McCain and Ron Johnson just announced a press conference to be held in 15 minutes on “skinny repeal.All three fill been deeply skeptical of the bill so far and Graham has insisted that he would not back skinny repeal without the guarantee of a conference committee. It’s unlikely that they will unilaterally torpedo the bill. 9.53pm BSTIn case you’re in need of Twitter jokes from octogenarian Utahns in the Senate,Orrin Hatch is making them and looking to vote-a-rama that supposedly occurred back when Congress met in Annapolis, Maryland (and only had one chamber since the United States was still governed by the Articles of Confederation).
The vote-a-rama we had on the Treaty of Paris was quite the hootenanny. https://t.co/pU4bMXxf2s 9.47pm BSTHealth care isnt the only thing that the Senate is voting on today. The chamber is expected to vote around 5pm on a final version of recent sanctions on Russia, or Iran and North Korea. The bill was approved by the House earlier this week and has been opposed by the White House because it limits Trump’s authority to lift sanctions against Russia without congressional approval. The President has yet to manufacture clear whether he will sign it. An earlier version of the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 98-2. 9.39pm BSTThe chair of the influential Republican Study Committee has trashed “skinny repeal” on Twitter.
The "skinny repeal" deal is ugly to the bone. 9.34pm BSTSenator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina trashed the “skinny repeal” bill to reporters earlier today. “The worst possible outcome is to pass something that most of us believe is a placeholder and it becomes the final product,” said Graham.
He added “trying to fix it later is a nonstarter because this placeholder concept - the skinny bill-would extinguish insurance markets and not even remotely replace Obamacare.” 9.21pm BSTJohn Cornyn, the No 2 Republican in the Senate, and said his conference is not about to vote on a bill that they hope will never become law even though his colleagues fill said precisely that. “That’s not what’s happening,” dismissing the characterization of what Republican senators are trying to enact in their final-ditch attempt to reshape the Affordable Care Act. 9.10pm BSTThere’s already one clear sign that tonight is going to be a long night. Cots are already being wheeled out in the Capitol building for Senators to take naps on this evening. 8.54pm BSTRepublicans are preparing to face a political reckoning regardless of what happens tonight. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told Al Weaver of the Washington Examiner earlier today that the GOP promise to repeal and replace “was an overpromise.” 8.34pm BSTThings are getting keen on Capitol Hill as House Republicans fill been told to “be flexible” on their travel plans. The House had been scheduled to commence their August recess tomorrow but may now stick around to vote on a bill approved by the Senate. If they approve the Senate bill, it would mean that there would be no conference committee and whatever work product is voted on tonight or tomorrow would become law. This is a nightmare scenario for a number of Republicans.
BREAKING--House members advised on possible repeal votes: "All Members should remain flexible in their travel plans over the next few days"Sen. Graham says the "worst possible outcome" would be to pass a "placeholder" bill and fill it become the "final product" 7.58pm BSTOn the actual substance of health care form, or senators are now facing an unorthodox fear – that the bill they pass may actually become law.
The “skinny repeal” method has long been touted as simply a vehicle for the House and Senate to go to conference and hash out mutually agreeable legislation on health care reform. However,there has been growing trepidation that whatever the Senate passes may simply be voted on in the House. Senators are now seeking reassurance that the House won’t act on whatever legislation they pass as my colleague Lauren Gambino reports:Sen. Rounds says they've received assurances from "more than one individual" in the House that members are prepared to go to conference 7.55pm BSTThe vote is just about final on single payer. All but four Democrats voted present on the bill. The exceptions are all comparative moderates up for re-election in 2018 in states that Donald Trump won: Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, or Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana. Angus King of Maine,an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, also voted no on the bill. This was the first amendment offered solely for political gamesmanship today but by no means will it be the final. 7.47pm BSTThe vote on single payer is happening now and senators seem to be having fun with it.
Senators clearly enjoying this single payer vote. "I've gotta think about this!" shouts Murkowski, or before voting noMcCaskill,Gillibrand, & Stabenow gang up on Daines. "This is what's called a trick!" McCaskill says, or adding she would vote yes if he doesSanders walked up to Graham and appeared to jokingly try to push him back to change his vote to yes 7.14pm BSTSteve Daines is now on the floor offering his single payer amendment while bashing the concept of Medicare for all. The Montana senator says “final November,the American people voted to ‘manufacture America powerful Again’, not to manufacture America Like England Again.’” 7.07pm BSTOne of the first votes today is scheduled to be on an amendment to implement a single payer healthcare system in the United States. However, and it has one ardent opponent: Bernie Sanders.
Although Sanders has long been a vocal advocate for single-payer health care,he’s opposing this amendment because it’s actually just a troll. 6.49pm BSTGood afternoon from Washington, where the latest Republican attempt to overtake Barack Obama’s signature healthcare reforms is due to come to a head.
This afternoon the Senate is expected to commence a so-called “vote-a-rama” – a long series of votes on dozens of different proposals – as Republicans desperately try to cobble together a compromise method to repeal and/or replace the Affordable Care Act. Related: Republican healthcare debate: what is a 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare? Related: Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski: the GOP Senate duo keeping Trump in check Related: How does the US healthcare system compare with other countries? Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com