Two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that President Barack Obama’s health care law was constitutional, the Republican-led House voted 244-185 today to repeal it.
It was the 33rd time in 18 months that the GOP House majority has tried to scrap, defund or scale back the law. Democrats control the Senate, so actual repeal won’t happen this year.
While Republicans vow to “repeal and replace” Obamacare someday, they still aren’t saying what they’d replace it with.
Before today’s vote, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) mocked the absence of a healthcare replacement bill from Republicans.
Green held a copy of the 2,000-plus-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in his left hand, and the GOP’s “invisible” plan to fix healthcare in his right hand. It is hilarious!:
“This is the replacement bill,” he said, looking at his empty hand, “and they want me to be sure that I understand the replacement bill before I vote to repeal.” “So what I’d like to do now, for all within the sound of my voice and who are viewing this, I want to read the replacement bill,” he said mockingly. “I shall read the replacement bill — let me just read half of it first. I shall now read one half of the replacement bill.” After a silent pause of a few seconds, Green then said, “Now, I shall read the other half of the replacement bill (insert another silent pause here)”To ward off complaints that he reads too fast, Green read the entire “invisible” bill again (silently pausing again), and asked that the bill be placed in the Congressional Record.”I’m going to ask that I be allowed to place the replacement bill in the record,” he said. “Thank you, Mr. Speaker.”
Steve Frank Recommended
