Oppose the bill 6
These senators have said they will or are likely to vote against the current bill. Republicans can afford only two GOP “no” votes.
Collins, a moderate senator, has said she’s wary of cutting funds to Planned Parenthood and other health clinics that serve low-income women. In a statement after the bill was released, her office said: “She has a number of concerns.” She told reporters she likes that the bill gives tax credits for people making under $12,000 a year but doesn’t like that Medicaid would be tied to inflation, translating, she said, “to literally billions of dollars of cuts.” Read more »
Senators Cruz, Johnson, Lee and Paul issued a statement on June 22 stating that they are “not ready to vote for this bill” but are “open to negotiation.” “If we fail to repeal Obamacare,” Cruz told reporters …. “it would be a failure of a mandate we’ve been given by voters.” Cruz added: “Lower premiums, and I will happily be a part of it.” Read more »
Heller said he will likely vote against a key procedural vote this week. “This bill that is currently in front of me in the United States Senate is not the answer. It’s simply not the answer. And I’m announcing today that, in this form, I will not support it,” Heller said at a Las Vegas press conference on June 23, saying this bill would pull the rug out on some of Nevada’s most vulnerable people, like Medicaid recipients… I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes away the insurance from tens of thousands of Nevadans.” Read more »
Sens. Johnson, Paul, Cruz and Lee issued a statement on June 22 stating that they are “not ready to vote for this bill” but are “open to negotiation.” More: “There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their healthcare costs.” Johnson said it is a strong possibility he votes “no” on a key procedural vote to move the bill forward. Read more »
Lee said he will likely vote against a key procedural vote to move the bill forward. Sens. Lee, Paul, Cruz and Johnson issued a statement on June 22 stating that they are “not ready to vote for this bill” but are “open to negotiation.” More: “There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their healthcare costs.”: “There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their healthcare costs.” Read more »
Paul said he would likely vote against a key procedural vote to move the bill forward. “My main concern is I promised voters that I would repeal — vote to repeal Obamacare. And everything I hear sounds like Obamacare-lite,” he told The Washington Post on June 20, adding later “It may well be that prices don’t come down at all.” On June 22, he told reporters: “There’s a lot in here that doesn’t look like repeal,” after issuing a statement with Sens. Cruz, Johnson and Lee saying they are “not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation.” Read more »
Have concerns 4
These senators are considering voting against the bill unless their concerns get addressed.
“I’m still up in the air,” she told Politico on June 22. Before the bill was released, Capito told Axios that a bill that would cap Medicaid spending would be “a problem.” Read more »
“Right now I am undecided. There are things in this bill that adversely affect my state, that are peculiar to my state. A couple of the things I am concerned about, but if those can be addressed I will. And if they can’t be addressed, I won’t. So right now I am undecided.” Read more »
The moderate senator said in a Facebook town hall “there were some good things that came out of [Obamacare],” like protecting coverage for young adults and people with preexisting conditions as well as expanding Medicaid. “It’s no secret that healthcare needs to be reformed, but it needs to be done right,” she said in a June 22 statement. Read more »
The Ohio senator opposed versions of the House’s health care bill because it rolled back Medicaid expansion, which is popular in his state, too soon. He also told reporters he’s concerned about how the bill was crafted in secret: “If we try to squeeze it in a short period of time we won’t get it right and we have to get it right,” he told reporters on June 20. He also said: “I like the idea of preexisting conditions being more firmly clarified.” Read more »
Unknown/unclear 27
These senators haven’t commented on the bill or have given vague statements.
The orthopedic surgeon and member of GOP leadership said in a statement, “The bill is not perfect, and because of budget rules it doesn’t include every prescription I would have liked. What I do know is that our path is a vast improvement over Obamacare and will finally start to build a health care system that works for many more Americans.” Read more »
John Boozman (Ark.)
Thad Cochran (Miss.)
Corker said in a statement that he’ll review the bill over the next several days. “I will make a final decision based on whether this legislation, on the whole, is better than what is in place today.” Read more »
Tom Cotton (Ark.)
In a statement on June 22 Daines said “I look forward to hearing directly from Montanans on this legislation.” Read more »
“I am carefully looking through it,” Ernst said in a June 22 statement. Read more »
“Senator Fischer is reading the health care bill,” a Fischer spokesperson said June 22. Read more »
Flake tweeted “Just got my copy of the #healthcare bill and I’m going to take time to thoroughly read and review it” Read more »
Gardner said he was “beginning to carefully review” the legislation after it was released. Read more »
“South Carolinians want Obamacare repealed and replaced with something better. Only after a careful review of the legislation will I be able to determine if this bill achieves those goals,” he said in a statement after the bill was released. Read more »
“The Senate discussion draft is available for everyone to review. I’m studying it. I’m looking at the ways it would help Iowans affected by Obamacare’s failures. There will be a full debate before the Senate, with the ability for senators of both parties to offer amendments. We’ll know the official cost estimate soon. I’m glad this process is moving forward, given the problems that continue to get worse with the current law.” Read more »
“The overall goal of health care reform legislation should be to provide Americans with access to patient-centered health care and health insurance at an affordable rate. We will review this legislation to determine whether it meets this standard and we also want to see a CBO score on the bill,” Hoeven said in a June 22 statement. Read more »
“I am continuing to review the details of the bill released today and look forward to working with my colleagues in the coming days to address the crisis of Obamacare.” Read more »
Johnny Isakson (Ga.)
“I’ll be reading through the Senate health care bill this weekend. We’ve got to fix the unmitigated disaster that is Obamacare. ” Read more »
“Put me down as a solid undecided,” Lankford told CNN’s Jake Tapper. He said as of late Thursday afternoon, he had identified at least six problems or suggestions for the bill. Read more »
“I am closely reviewing the discussion draft of the Senate health care bill released today. My focus is on protecting the people of Arizona, and I am consulting with Governor Doug Ducey and seeking input from Arizonans before making a final decision. Any replacement plan must ensure our citizens have access to affordable and flexible health care, and I look forward to thoroughly examining this legislation and engaging in a robust amendment process in the Senate next week.” Read more »
Before the Senate bill was released, Moran told a town hall that he would not have voted for the House bill. “I want to see what the health care bill is,” he told the crowd on June 12. Read more »
“After reviewing the initial working draft, I believe it includes many substantial fixes to our broken health care system. … Obviously, this will not be the final bill, but I’m hopeful that we can resolve the remaining disagreements and deliver a consensus bill that is a vast improvement over Obamacare,” Perdue said in a June 23 statement. Read more »
Risch “is reading and studying the bill carefully,” according to spokeswoman Kaylin Minton. Read more »
Rubio withheld support for the bill on June 22. In a statement, his office said he “will decide how to vote on health care on the basis of how it impacts Florida.” Read more »
Sasse tweeted on June 22 that he was “looking forward to a few hours of reading time…” and attached an image of the bill. Read more »
“I believe that we can do better for our state and our country, but I will not vote for a bill that will make things worse for Alaskans,” Sullivan said in a June 22 statement. Read more »
“I look forward to carefully reviewing the draft legislation,” Tillis said in a statement on June 22. Read more »
“In almost every regard, this draft legislation represents another step to move us away from the unworkable aspects of Obamacare and toward a smaller government approach,” Wicker said in a statement on June 22 Read more »
“I am reviewing the discussion draft and speaking with folks at home, but one thing is clear: doing nothing is not an option,” Young said in a June 22 statement. Read more »
Support the bill 15
These senators have said they will or are likely to vote for the bill.
“To begin with, the draft Senate health care bill makes no change in the law protecting people with pre-existing conditions, no change in Medicare benefits, and increases Medicaid funding— that’s TennCare—at the rate of inflation,” Alexander said in a June 22 statement. Read more »
Blunt issued a statement in support of the current bill on June 22, saying it “preserves access to care for people with pre-existing conditions, strengthens Medicaid and does not change Medicare. … American families need a more reliable and affordable health care system, and this bill takes important steps in that direction.” Read more »
“While not perfect, the bill does provide the funding we need to support our most vulnerable North Carolinians,” Burr said in a statement on June 22. Read more »
“After years of debate, hearings, and stories from folks harmed by Obamacare, today is a critical step towards delivering on our promise to provide the relief Texans so desperately need,” Cornyn said in a statement. Read more »
Crapo said in a June 22 statement that the bill “protects individuals with pre-existing conditions, allows children to stay on their parents’ health insurance through age 26 and does not make changes to Medicare. … I will be reviewing the details of the bill closely while the Senate awaits an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Today’s proposal however is a promising step toward maintaining affordable care.” Read more »
Enzi praised the bill in a June 22 statement, saying it “[frees] the American people from the requirement that forced families to purchase insurance they either did not want or could not afford.” Read more »
“I’ve met with patient groups, disabilities groups, providers and health-care experts to gain a better understanding of our state’s unique health-care needs. I believe this discussion draft reflects those needs,” Hatch said in a video posted June 23, adding the bill “contains a number of critical wins for the people of Utah.” Read more »
The Senate Majority Leader largely authored the bill in secret with his aides, taking into account input with GOP senators. Read more »
“This bill is the best path to immediate relief for patients in 2018,” Roberts said in a statement on June 22. Read more »
“I think we can make it better, but I think we are moving in the right direction,” Rounds said on Fox Business. Read more »
“This plan, in a binary world, is a much better plan than Obamacare,” Scott said June 22 in a Fox News interview. Read more »
“I’m going to support this bill,” Shelby told Bloomberg on June 22. Read more »
“President Trump’s election has given us a golden opportunity to save our healthcare system. We cannot fail in doing that. I am encouraged by key provisions in the Senate bill,” Strange said June 22 on Fox Business. Read more »
When the House was debating its bill, Thune, a member of Senate leadership, said he wants to make sure low-income people get tax cuts to help pay for their health insurance. In a video on June 22, Thune said the Senate bill contained “a more generous tax credit that is targeted toward those who need it the most.” Read more »
In a call with reporters Tuesday, Toomey said he is “likely” to vote for the bill. “I don’t have a list of things at this point I must change,” Toomey said. “Everything I want is not going to happen in one bill.” Read more »
