Senate

GOP pledges to fight ‘tooth and nail’ to repeal ObamaCare

by Jordain Carney - 06/25/15 11:00 AM ET

Senate Republicans quickly pledged Thursday to fight to repeal ObamaCare in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling upholding the law’s federal subsidies.

The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that 6.4 million people can continue to receive subsidies that allow them to purchase healthcare plans, handing a victory to the Obama administration.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Republicans will “continue to fight tooth and nail to repeal” the Affordable Care Act.

{mosads}“Today’s decision doesn’t change the fact that Obamacare has been a disaster for the millions of hardworking American families who have seen their health care costs skyrocket or lost their insurance entirely,” the senior Republican senator added.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) quickly weighed in, saying that the decision “won’t change ObamaCare’s multitude of broken promises.”

The Republican leader tried to pressure Democrats who supported the law, saying they face a choice to either “crow about Obamacare’s latest wobble toward the edge, or work with us to address the ongoing negative impact of a 2,000-page law that continues to make life miserable for too many of the same people it purported to help.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) added that Republicans will continue to move forward with their legislative alternatives, including the Patient CARE Act, which would repeal ObamaCare.

“Fortunately, Republicans have a plan to reverse this course by repealing and replacing Obamacare with reforms that put patients — not Washington — first,” he said. “Moving forward, we will continue to seek input on our legislative proposal … and use every opportunity available to give both states and patients more freedom and flexibility.”

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who has repeatedly come to the Senate floor to criticize the law and Democratic support for it, suggested Republicans would use every available avenue to change the law.

“We’ll take every action possible in Congress, in the courts and in statehouses across our country to stop this unworkable and unaffordable law from hurting more Americans,” said Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. “We’ll continue to look for opportunities to deliver real reform that lowers costs, improves access and helps all Americans live healthier lives.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) added that the Supreme Court’s decision “does not repeal the problems with Obamacare.”

“The fight to repeal and replace Obamacare to give patients the power must continue,” he said. “I remain committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare with conservative, free market solutions that give you the power.”

Democrats quickly doubled down on their support for the Afforable Care Act.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested that it was time for Republicans to rethink their strategy.

“I say this respectfully to my Senate colleagues, and I mean that: Stop banging your heads against the wall on this legislation. It passed,” he said. “Move on. Republicans should really, they should pause for a minute and look back. … I would hope Republicans would rethink what they’ve been up to.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) added that he hopes “our Republicans colleagues will now give up their quest to repeal Obamacare and move on to more productive activities for the middle class.”

And Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) suggested that Republicans should focus on improving health insurance, saying “memo to the non-stop critics of the Affordable Care Act: Stop trying to kill this program and work to make it stronger.”