Repeal Of Affordable Care Act Falls 13 Votes Short In Senate

As I said this morning, this isn’t a surprise:

The Senate on Wednesday voted down a repeal of President Obama’s healthcare law in a 47-51 party-line vote.

The vote came two weeks to the day the Republican House voted 245-189 to repeal the law, and just days after a federal judge ruled Obama’s signature legislative achievement is unconstitutional.

Republicans have vowed to carry the fight forward, saying they will seek to de-fund the law as it is implemented. The GOP also has promised Wednesday’s repeal vote will not be the last in this Congress.

The vote came on a budgetary point of order, which Republicans needed 60 votes to overcome. Democrats argued repealing healthcare would add an estimated $230 billion to the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) called that estimate “preposterous.”

Next up? Some real work maybe?

FILED UNDER: Congress, Healthcare Policy, US Politics, , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. An Interested Party says:

    “Next up? Some real work maybe?”

    Surely you jest…when they had no power, the GOP was all about voting no…now that they have one chamber of Congress, they are all about meaningless, symbolic votes (probably thinking these will help them somehow in the 2012 elections)…it’s a little hard to do real work when their primary message is that government (you know, the thing they ran so hard to be a part of) is the problem…

  2. Steve Plunk says:

    Looks like 3 votes short, not 13. Of course if they would have had the three there would not have been a vote.

  3. Neil Hudelson says:

    Steve,

    4 (if you are going by straight up or down) unless you think Biden will break a tie in favor of the Republicans. The 13 number comes from the fact that if there was a chance of repeal, it would’ve been threatened with a fillibuster, so they would have to have 60. You really don’t know this? You really don’t know how your party has been operating on every piece of legislation for the past 2 years?

  4. michael reynolds says:

    Is there such a thing as a Republican who’s not an idiot?

    Seriously. What a bunch of cretins.

  5. Ej says:

    “Next up? Some real work maybe?”

    Im not sure they had a choice considering they campaigned on this. They had to at least make the symbolic effort. Its synomous with the dems useless and largely symbolic votes in 2007 to end the Iraq war.

    Healthcare will come back at some point not in the too distant future, simply because it has to in order to adress the budget problem. Whether it be changes from the left or the right, the system just set up will not look like it does now 5 or ten years from now. The politicking now is just setting up the next battle lines post 2012.

  6. wr says:

    In Steve Plunk’s world, it takes 50 Republicans to pass a bill in the Senate but 60 Democrats. If the Rs can only muster up 47, they came damn close to winning. If the Ds can only get 59, they’re pathetic losers who can’t accomplish anything even with a majority.

    Of course this is a man who believes that the government’s enumerated powers include locking up US citizens for life without trial as long as there’s a Republican president, but don’t include a mandate to buy healthcare under a Democrat.

    Can’t think why I don’t take “conservatives” more seriously…

  7. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    Considering that the entire Obamacare law has been declared void by the court, the outcome of this vote was irrelevant anyway.

  8. Tlaloc says:

    Doug:
    “Next up? Some real work maybe?”

    yeah, right. Haven;t you heard the GOP is taking up the vital question of defunding the UN?

    Patrick:
    “Considering that the entire Obamacare law has been declared void by the court, the outcome of this vote was irrelevant anyway.”

    One of four courts found the law void. Strange how you ignore that three in four have either found the whole law to be constitutional or to have a severable unconstitutional component while the rest is fine. Almost as if you were unwilling to acknowledge facts that don;t support your arguments. But that’d make you a complete tool…

    Oh. Yeah. Sorry.

  9. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    “Strange how you ignore that three in four have either found the whole law to be constitutional or to have a severable unconstitutional component while the rest is fine.”

    It only takes one.

  10. Tom Mathers says:

    Real work? Like TARP 2, 3, 4 & 5? Bailing out another GM? Cap and Trade? High Speed Rail? I’ll take Kabuki votes every day and 2x on Sundays, if the alternative is real work that results in the the boondoggles above.

  11. Steven Plunk says:

    Neil H., Before getting all snarky you should read what I wrote and think for a minute. Yeah I was thinking they had 48 votes when I said 3 short so excuse that mistake but your lengthy talk about me not understanding the filibusters show your reading comprehension is lacking. Like I said, if they had the votes needed there would not have been a vote because of the filibuster.

    Jeesh, I guess no glass of wine before posting.

    wr, Please my friend, get help. You continue to embarrass yourself with the ‘Republicans are all evil” pitch. BTW, we’ll see how many votes the R’s have after 2012. It will be more than necessary.

  12. mantis says:

    It only takes one.

    A little refresher on the hierarchy of our judicial system is in order for this idiot.

  13. An Interested Party says:

    “Neil H., Before getting all snarky you should read what I wrote and think for a minute.”

    Perhaps you should have followed your own advice and thought for a minute before you typed what you did…

    “You continue to embarrass yourself with the ‘Republicans are all evil’ pitch.”

    In much the same way that you do with your “Democrats/liberals are evil” pitch…

    “BTW, we’ll see how many votes the R’s have after 2012. It will be more than necessary.”

    Oh really? So they’ll pick up at least 3 seats and regain the presidency? Or pick up at least 20 seats if the president wins reelection? My my, how hopeful you are…