Skip to main content

Congress United on Sanctions for Russia; Still Divided on Health Care

Share This article

WASHINGTON -  The Senate health care bill and Obamacare replacement idea was resuscitated after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans.   But exactly what that replacement will be is still up in the air. 

"People are hurting; inaction is not an option," Trump warned during that meeting. 

Earlier last week, the first plan to pass the bill was dead on arrival when a number of GOP senators said they would vote no. 

Republicans then attempted a repeal-only plan, which was thwarted by a handful of senators who refused to back that idea as well. 

That replacement plan faced yet another blow after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicted deductibles under the GOP plan could reach $13,000 per single policy holder by 2026. 

The CBO also predicted  22 million more Americans would go uninsured by 2026. 

That's a figure House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called "bogus."

"I think that's kind of a bogus number," said Ryan. 

"What they are basically saying is people will choose not to buy something that they don't want to buy if they don't have to buy it. The government is forcing people to buy something they don't want to do. And so if we stop forcing people to do something they don't want to do, they won't do it," Ryan continued. 

Repeal Only or Repeal and Replace?

So what happens now? 

Republicans are marching toward a vote this week, although there seems to be some uncertainty on what exactly they will be voting on -- repeal only or repeal and replace.  

"We Democrats don't know what our Republican friends are planning to vote on next week. I'll bet many Republicans don't know yet either," charged Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 

One GOP senator seemed to back that claim. 

"I don't know whether we're proceeding to the House bill, a new version of the Senate bill, the old version of the Senate bill, the 2015 repeal-and-hope-that-we-come-up-with something-in-two-years bill. I truly don't," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. 

So what will it be?

"I think ultimately that's a judgment Sen. McConnell will make at some point this week before the vote," Senator John Thune, R-SD, told Fox News Sunday.  

The One Thing Congress Does Agree On 

One thing Congress has agreed on: a fresh round of sanctions for Russia. 

A bipartisan bill would punish Russia for allegedly interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 

It would also penalize Russia for annexation of Crimea and military action in the Ukraine. 

The bill, which includes sanctions for Iran and North Korea, was heavily supported by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate.

The House will vote on the measure Tuesday. 

However, that new bill, which would still need a signature from the president, would also inhibit his ability to lift or alter those sanctions. 

There was doubt in Washington the president would be onboard. 

However, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president WILL support the new bill. 

"The original piece of legislation was poorly written, but we were able to work with the House and Senate, and the administration is happy with the ability to do that, and make those changes that were necessary, and we support where the legislation is now," Sanders told ABC's "This Week" Sunday. 

Share This article

About The Author

Amber C.
Strong

Amber Strong joined the CBN News team in Washington, D.C., in 2014 as a producer and field producer. Currently, she works as a correspondent, producer, and backup anchor for "The Brody File." Her beat includes national politics and The White House. And while she loves her current backyard of Washington, D.C., she’s a Hoosier girl at heart. Amber lives and breathes all things entertainment and politics and has had the privilege of interviewing some of the biggest names in both industries, including late night host Jimmy Fallon and presidential contender Rick Santorum. However, her true love is