The Gang of Four has now become the Gang of Five as another Senator has come out and said he cannot vote for the healthcare bill as it is currently written:
JUST IN: Republican Sen. Heller announces opposition to current draft of Senate health care bill: "simply not the answer" – @AlexNBCNews
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) June 23, 2017
RED ALERT – Sen Dean Heller R-NV says he will not vote for the Senate GOP health care bill as it stands now https://t.co/7xdSJyD2Tt
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 23, 2017
Sen Dean Heller R-NV on Senate GOP health bill: "It's going to be very difficult to get me to a yes"
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 23, 2017
Heller's main objection is how the Senate bill changes Medicaid, says the growth rate isn't enough for long term
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 23, 2017
Here’s more:
AXIOS – Sen. Dean Heller is a “no” on the Senate health care bill released yesterday, he announced today alongside Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. Both emphasized how beneficial expanding Medicaid has been for the state.
What he said: “This bill that’s currently in front of the United States Senate is not the answer. It’s simply not the answer…In this form, I will not support it … It doesn’t protect Nevadans on Medicaid and the most vulnerable Nevadans.”
Why this matters: Heller was the most obvious moderate to defect, as he’s up for re-election next year in a state Hillary Clinton won. But now the bill has both moderate and conservative defectors, making compromise extremely challenging. Heller’s move also could embolden other moderates to publicly oppose the bill.
So now there is both conservative and moderate opposition to the bill. Right now the four conservatives outnumber the one moderate, so I would hope that the Senate would see Heller as a vote they could lose.
But this a Senate full of RINOs and I expect more moderates will pile into his group to force the direction of the bill.
I’m starting to wonder if they will be able to pass a bill…