Republicans opened their effort to quickly drive a bill to repeal Obamacare through Congress in simultaneous committee sessions Wednesday that could extend late into the night and possibly into the morning.
The Capitol Hill action came against a backdrop of pitched controversy over the legislation, which is posing a crucial first test to President Donald Trump’s capacity to move his agenda through Congress and as conservative Republicans complain that the initiative does not go far enough in erasing his predecessor Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.
Democrats meanwhile are using the hearings to defend Obamacare and are charging that the GOP bill would curtail access to health coverage and enrich insurance companies and CEOs.
While their amendments to alter the bill will likely fall short, they are using a procedural measure to delay the proceedings. They forced the clerk of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to read the full bill — a procedure that took about an hour and have promised 100 amendments.
Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said that the Affordable Care Act was collapsing but that “relief is on the way” as his markup got under way following a full-throated endorsement of the bill from President Donald Trump, who is planning to mount an intense lobbying effort to get the measure quickly out of the House and to the Senate.
“Today’s markup is a critical step to providing all Americans with affordable, patient-centered health care that is tailored to their needs,” Brady said.
Democrats are complaining that the hearings are taking place before the Congressional Budget Office has a chance to “score” the House legislation, a process that will provide answers on how much it will cost and how many people it will cover.
Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means panel, cited the lack of the report as a reason the effort should be postponed. “To consider a bill of this magnitude without a CBO score is not only puzzling and concerning, but also irresponsible,” Neal said.
Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett said the GOP bill had been kept “as secret as Donald Trump’s tax returns.”
“It is surprising that you’re so determined to hide your panacea,” the Texas congressman told his Republican colleagues.
Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan asked his Republican colleagues: “what are you afraid of, what are you afraid of?” before answering his own questions, saying that the Republican bill would increase the ranks of the uninsured and could interfere with the private health care market.
But Republican Majority whip Steve Scalise told the Energy committee that while he is also waiting for a CBO score, he will not let “unelected bureaucrats in Washington” slow down the Republican promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Democrats are flooding their colleagues across the aisle with a long list of amendments to the legislation. While most, if not all, of the amendments are expected to fail, Wednesday offers supporters of Obamacare an opportunity to force Republicans to take formal positions on thorny health care issues.
One Democratic committee aide said the intent is to “make some Republicans take some really tough votes” that are “revealing” about the GOP’s priorities on health care.
Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins highlighted a provision of the bill that provides a tax break for health insurance companies amid criticism that it will simply be passed onto industry executives. Higgins listed the million dollar salaries enjoyed by CEOs at health care giants like Aetna, Anthem, Cigna and United Healthcare.
It’s “morally reprehensible,” Higgins said.
“We’re sitting here talking about giving big insurance companies a tax break?”
Despite the fraught political circumstances, there was a moment of levity at the Energy and Commerce Committee — the second House panel that is also holding a health care hearing Wednesday.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, said she was going to blast the Republican plan using President Trump’s Twitter vernacular.
“Bad!” she said loudly. “Sad!”
The bill has already drawn criticism from rank-and-file lawmakers, powerful conservative groups and key senators. Trump vowed Tuesday to throw his full support behind the effort, saying he is “proud” to support a GOP-authored plan to replace Obamacare and told members behind closed doors that he would back it “100%,” according to sources in a meeting between Trump and House Republicans at the White House.
But he warned lawmakers of the high-stakes nature of the effort, citing a potential electoral “blood bath,” a member present said.
The Energy and Commerce Committee, headed by GOP Chairman Greg Walden and Democratic ranking member Frank Pallone, has jurisdiction over Medicaid. Ways and Means has jurisdiction over tax credits.
Both issues are central to the ongoing debate on overhauling the current health care system.
The GOP legislation unveiled Monday would get rid of Obamacare’s individual mandate and put in place refundable tax credits for individuals to purchase health insurance. It also proposes restructuring Medicaid and defunding Planned Parenthood.
The bill looks to preserve some of the more popular elements of Obamacare, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions (though insurers would be allowed to charge higher premiums to individuals whose coverage has lapsed) and letting children stay on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26.
GOP leaders have said that the bill will not be brought to the floor until the CBO scores the legislation.