Pa. senator warns of consequences should attorney general be fired

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

After the failure of a Senate bill to partially repeal President Barack Obama’s health care reforms, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey sounded like a man ready to file a claim for chronic fatigue.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointing this is,” the Republican told Philadelphia radio host Dom Giordano Friday morning. “After seven years of promising the American people that we’re going to relieve them of the misery and the failure of Obamacare, to fall one vote short last night [on] what would have been a major step forward — I don’t understand.”

However, he said, “This isn’t over, because Obamacare is still the same disaster today that it was yesterday.” He surmised that “the folks that voted no on this maybe will hear from the folks that sent them to the Senate, because I think [ voters] wanted a different outcome.”

Although Mr. Toomey didn’t mention them by name, three Republicans joined with all 48 Senate Democrats to kill the measure: Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Mr. Toomey was among 13 Republican senators who crafted repeal legislation in secret. His focus was on reducing projected growth in future Medicaid spending, in part by having states pick up more of the tab for costs under an Obamacare Medicaid expansion.

The measure defeated early Friday morning was a pared-down bill few Republicans embraced, but leaders hoped the bill could be reworked in a joint House/ Senate committee once passed.

Mr. Toomey’s Medicaid reductions were not included in the measure voted upon, but he backed it from the Senate floor hours before the vote. “I hope we will get to a conference committee with the House,” he said, “and I hope the result [will include] important reforms to Medicaid.”

Republicans have rebounded from previous health care setbacks this year, but Mr. Toomey did