WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) offered the following statement after an Obamacare repeal amendment was scheduled for a Sunday vote during consideration of the Senate highway bill.
“Republicans now have an opportunity to make good on our promise to repeal Obamacare,” Lee said. “The first Obamacare vote on Sunday will have a 60 vote threshold, and Democrats will likely block it,” Lee continued. “But thanks to the sequencing of the votes we just locked in, Republicans will have the opportunity resurrect that Obamacare amendment later on in the process, and put it back before the Senate in a manner that only requires a simple-majority vote.”
After cloture is reached on the Export-Import Bank amendment, senators will still be allowed to offer germane amendments to the highway bill, each of which would only require a simple-majority to pass. If the Chair rules that the Obamacare amendment is non-germane, Senate Rule 22 also allows any senator to appeal that ruling to the full Senate. At that point, a simple-majority of Senators would have the power to add the Obamacare repeal amendment to the highway bill.
“I look forward to voting to repeal Obamacare with all 54 of my Republican colleagues Sunday,” Lee added, “and working with all of the Senate to finally bring real reform to our health care system.”
