GOP bid to end Obamacare falters
With Collins saying ‘no,’ it is unlikely Graham-Cassidy bill will pass Senate
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a key Republican vote on health care, announced Monday that she will oppose the lastditch GOP effort to overhaul Oba- macare, essentially leaving the bill dead.
Republicans, with 52 seats in the Senate, can lose just two votes and still pass the bill introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., intended to bring the bill to the floor for a vote this week before a Sept. 30 deadline for the Senate to act.
Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas all have said they are against the bill. While Cruz had been against the current version, he had been hoping for more tweaks in the legislation. Shortly after Collins’ announcement, Cruz tweeted, “We cannot give up on Obamacare repeal. We must keep working. We can get to yes.”
However, the bill’s sponsors al-
“This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans.”
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
ready made changes over the weekend to the funding model in the hopes of winning some votes.
Collins’ announcement came just after after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a limited analysis estimating “the number of people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events would be reduced by millions” under the legislation over the next decade. CBO said it was
Airline employees checked IDs by camping light. Near the American counter, a line of passengers stretched nearly the entire length of the darkened Terminal B. Many fanned themselves with fans or shards of cardboard. Mothers sprinkled water on the sweaty heads of babies.
FAA spokesman Gregory Martin said recovery efforts in Puerto Rico now support a dozen commercial passenger flights a day at San Juan’s airport. The FAA is regulating the use of gates at the airport to manage the demand for ramp space and to keep aircraft safely separated, he said.
“As the agency continues to restore radars, navigational aids and other equipment damaged during Hurricane Maria, the number of flights is expected to increase,” Martin said.
The FAA airlifted a mobile airtraffic control tower to St. Thomas during the weekend. Hurricane Irma damaged the island’s tower at Cyril King International Airport, and a mobile tower was brought to the island Sept. 13. But it had been removed in advance of Hurricane Maria.
“We’re also shuttling the controllers who staff the tower from San Juan to St. Thomas and back every day,” Martin said.
At San Juan’s airport, beleaguered travelers just wanted to hear these words: You can board your flight now. Omar Carter, 36, of Las Vegas, was vacationing in San Juan with his wife, Suzette Robinson, when Hurricane Maria quickly grew, stranding them on the island. The couple had returned to the airport every day since Friday. Each day, their flight was canceled.
They were back in line on Monday. “We’re just trying to stay optimistic and trying to get home,” Carter said.