Gardner: ACA repeal should get hearing

Senator says health care change should be bipartisan

washington» U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said Tuesday he agrees with some of the criticism Senate Republicans have faced over the lack of public debate during their attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

“It should be more open,” said the Colorado Republican in a brief interview. “I think there should be (Senate) hearings on this.”

But Gardner said the fault lies with U.S. politics writ large, rather than with him and other Senate Republican leaders, who are writing the bill and control the chamber’s agenda.

“I’m disappointed that we have a Washington, D.C., so fundamentally broken that both sides of the aisle can’t come together to fix” health care, said Gardner, whose role as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee makes him one of the top GOP officials in the Senate.

Gardner’s comments come as the Senate is preparing for what could be a quick debate over a GOP plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he hoped to make available on Thursday a “discussion draft” of the Republican plan — the first time the general public will get a chance to see a bill that has been crafted for weeks in secret.

A Thursday unveiling would give little time for deliberation, however, ahead of McConnell’s goal of holding a vote before the Fourth of July holiday.

Democrats, and Republicans such as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, have expressed disappointment at the schedule — given that it means the Senate would vote on the measure without a single Senate committee hearing on the legislation.

That stands in contrast to the debate ahead of the Democratic-led effort to pass the Affordable Care Act in the first place; a vote preceded by long days of committee hearings. The lack of input has irked Democrats, who have taken to the Senate floor this week to protest.

“It is unacceptable that the Republican health care bill will be forced to a vote without any public hearings or input from the American people,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, in a statement.

Asked about the lack of Senate hearings, Gardner said it wasn’t his preference.

“I would love to see the Senate hold hearings. I would love that. I have said that before. I have said that for months,” Gardner said.

Following the interview, his staff was asked to identify when exactly Gardner had called publicly for hearings; the response was that Gardner had done so whenever he had been asked about it, though no specific examples were cited.

If Gardner had made that argument to other Senate Republican leaders, however, it’s clear it didn’t have an impact — as there are no plans for a hearing before a vote.