This doesn't happen every day: House Republicans weren't radical enough when they passed an Obamacare repeal bill to send on to the Senate, the potential vehicle to force a veto from President Obama. (That's what passes for policy-making for Republicans now, by the way. Passing something that will be vetoed.) The House bill would repeal key sections of the law and would also defund Planned Parenthood. It's intended to be the vehicle for the Senate to use the budget reconciliation tool—legislation that can pass with just 51 votes—in order to put Obamacare repeal on the president's desk. But there are some problems along the way; notably presidential candidatesTed Cruz and Marco Rubio who are competing to see who can out-extreme the House. Oh, and Rand Paul, too. But nobody is paying any attention to him anymore.
Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Texas), who are vying for the GOP presidential nomination, have forced McConnell’s hand by announcing they will not support the House bill. They say it does not go far enough to repeal President Obama's healthcare law.
Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn (Texas) said Monday the House bill could be strengthened on the Senate floor.
"Everybody will be able to offer amendments so we'll have a vote-a-rama," he said. "We'll go as far as we can consistent with the Senate rules."
The House-passed legislation leaves in place several of the law’s tax increases, which generate hundreds of billions of dollars for the government. It also preserves health insurance subsidies and an expansion of Medicaid.
"As far as we can" with Senate rules might not be that far. Right now, the Senate parliamentarian is deciding whether all this—particularly the Planned Parenthood defunding—can actually be done with a budget reconciliation resolution. Right now, it's looking like Planned Parenthood will be saved, because of the Byrd Rule which stipulates that everything in a reconciliation package has to be directed at affecting government outlays and revenues. Defunding isn't that—it's just directing where existing money can't go. There are also limits to how much of Obamacare can be included because of that rule. So Mitch McConnell can preserve a few votes there—vulnerable members running for reelection now don't like the Planned Parenthood defunding. He can only afford to lose three of his 54 Republicans in the conference to succeed here.
Here's the problem for him, though, if he bows to Rubio, Cruz, and Paul to keep them in the 54: repealing Medicaid expansion is going to be as unpopular with said vulnerable Republicans as Planned Parenthood defunding. So is the idea of kicking millions of people off of their insurance plans. So is ending protections for people with pre-existing conditions. So is doing away with the tax credits that make health insurance affordable. So is making people with insurance—including Medicare—have to make copayments for basic preventive care again.
McConnell is playing with absolutely no margin here and is flirting with making the Senate majority just as dysfunctional as the House. All for the sake of a bill that's just going to be vetoed by Obama anyway. To make it even more absurd, all of this is going to be playing out while he is also trying get government spending passed to avoid a shutdown in December. That's Republican leadership for you.