Four Powerful GOP Senators Won’t Support GOP Health Care Bill

On Thursday, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Rand Paul (R-KY) stated publicly they could not support the current version of the GOP’s health care bill.

The senators issued the following statement in response to the release of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017:

Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor. 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.

Speaking with Mark Davis on his eponymous radio show, Cruz said, “I will say that at the final end, Mitch McConnell and leadership are producing the final draft; I don’t know what they’re going to have in it. A number of members of the working group who have been part of it for the past five months I think are frustrated that we don’t know what’s in it.”

Are we lowering premiums? The biggest reason millions of people are unhappy with Obamacare is that it’s caused premiums to skyrocket … The average family’s premiums. Mark, have risen over $5,000 a year. And that was caused by the federal government. We need to fix that. … If the bill doesn’t do that, if it doesn’t lower premiums, if it doesn’t repeal Obamacare, if it expands Obamacare, then I and I think a number of other conservatives will have no choice but to vote no. It’s not going to pass if it doesn’t directly tackle the problems of Obamacare.