GOP-Led Congress Takes First Steps Towards Repealing Obamacare, Dems Fight Back
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Republicans took the first step toward dismantling the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday as the Senate approved a budget resolution that will fast track its repeal.
"Obamacare has failed and has been rejected by the American people," Vice President-elect Mike Pence said.
A recent CBS News poll showed that just one in 10 Americans think Obamacare is working, and only eight percent of Democrats believe it should remain unchanged.
The GOP has the votes and the support of president-elect Donald Trump for a complete overhaul. But the big question is: What's next?
"They're like the dog who caught the bus," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "They can repeal, but they have nothing to put in its place, and that means so many good things go away."
"We have a plan to replace it, we have plenty of ideas to replace it," said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. "And you'll see as the weeks and months unfold what we're talking about."
Earlier in the day, Trump warned Republicans against letting Democrats escape blame for problems with the health care law.
The president-elect made his views known in a series of tweets, even taking aim at Schumer.
Trump had this advice for fellow Republicans: "Don't let the Schumer clowns out of this web.'' And Trump says "massive increases'' in health costs will occur this year "and Dems are to blame for the mess.''
Trump also said the law "will fall of its own weight -- be careful.''
Schumer fired back to Trump's tweets, saying that "Republicans should stop clowning around with America's health care."
"Don't #MakeAmericaSickAgain," he tweeted.
Republicans should stop clowning around with America's health care. Don't #MakeAmericaSickAgain
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 4, 2017
The White House said the Trump administration will now be held responsible for health care.
"The people who repeal the Affordable Care Act are going to assume the blame for the chaos that ensues," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama made a rare visit to Capitol Hill, hashing out a plan with congressional Democrats to stop Republicans from getting rid of his signature law, CBS' Weijia Jiang reported.
Democrats also issued their own warnings.
In a statement Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asserted around 2.7 million New Yorkers would lose health coverage and around $250 million in tax credits if the Affordable Care Act was repealed.
"The cost of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, to state and local budgets and to the New Yorkers who depend on its health care coverage, is simply too high to justify," Cuomo said in a press release. "Since its implementation, the Affordable Care Act has become a powerful tool to lower the cost of health insurance for local governments and New Yorkers, and it is essential that the federal government does not jeopardize the health and livelihoods of millions of working families."
Roughly 1.6 of the 2.7 million people at risk to lose coverage live in New York City's five boroughs.
Republicans said they won't "pull the rug" from the 20 million Americans who already have health care, but it could be a very complex process. Trump has said he wants to keep certain aspects, and some parts need 60 votes to repeal while others need 51.
Congressional committees have until Jan. 27 to write legislation repealing major parts of the health care law.
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