Obamacare in trouble: GOP Senators McCain, and Portman from Ohio join fellow Republicans in passing motion to debate GOP bill dubbed Trumpcare that would repeal and replace Obamacare....Sen Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat who voted against the measure, says it is offensive and will hurt lives....By editor Kathy Wray Coleman of Clevelandurbannews.com, Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, and Imperialwomencoalition.com, Ohio's Black digital news leaders
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| Republican United States Senator Rob Portman of Ohio |
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| Republican United States President Donald Trump |
CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, WASHINGTON, D.C- Senate Republicans
, with Rob Portman from Ohio aboard and Arizona Sen John McCain, who is fighting brain cancer, voted 51-50 on Tuesday to move forward with debate on a GOP bill to repeal and replace Obamcare, the 2010 Affordable Care Act, former president Barack Obama's signature heathcare intitiative that brought health care insurance to millions of Americans.
Led by Organizing for Action, opponents of the bill have regularly protested against Portman in recent months, and often at his door step at the federal building where his Cleveland office is located.
Sen Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat who voted against the measure, says it is offensive, and will hurt lives, and the economy.
But sources say there is a long road ahead if a health care solution is reached, including amendments to the bill, if it gets that far.
Vice President Mike Pence broke the 50-50 tie to make it 51-50, and after he, President Donald Trump and GOP congressional leaders lobbied fellow Republicans in support.
Trump will speak at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio in Mahoning Count, also on Tuesday, and is expected to promote the bill dubbed Trumpcare and officially name the American Heath Care Act of 2017.
A Washington Post poll released two Sunday's ago says Americans prefer Obamacare by a 2-1 margin and as support of the legislation increases Trump's approval rating is decreasing, having dropped from 42 percent in April to 36 percent as he approaches the six months mark since he took office in January.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell has said that repealing and not replacing Obamacare is also acceptable to him, a stance taken in recent weeks as the bill remains mired in controversy.
With Democrats in opposition, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, and Reps Fudge, a Warrensville Heights Democrat and one of two Blacks in congress from Ohio, and Marcy Kaptur, a Toledo Democrat, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act in May but it has stalled in the senate even with a revision.
Notably, the bill, among a host of mandates, requires an overhaul of medicaid funding and is opposed by Ohio Gov John Kasich, a 2016 unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for president.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenews
