WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Monday that the Senate will give up on its bill to replace Obamacare and vote instead on legislation to repeal the law within two years.
McConnell made the decision after it became clear he could not win enough support from his own GOP senators to pass the latest version of a replacement bill.
Two Republican senators announced Monday night that they would vote against the revised Senate bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, leaving leaders without enough support to bring the bill to the floor.
McConnell responded that he will push the Senate to pass a bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act – with a two-year delay – as a substitute.
"Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be succesful," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement. "So, 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 to a patient-centered health care system that gives Americans access to quality, affordable care."
Contributing: Erin Kelly, USA TODAY
