You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else.

Sign up for Democracy Now!'s Daily Digest to get our latest headlines and stories delivered to your inbox every day.

House Vote on Healthcare Repeal Follows Narrow Senate Passage

HeadlineJan 13, 2017

Today’s House vote comes after senators narrowly approved a budget reconciliation bill to begin repealing the Affordable Care Act, during a marathon debate that lasted into the early morning hours Thursday. The Senate vote was 51 to 48, with the entire Democratic caucus opposed to a repeal. During the roll call, Democrats rose one by one to voice objections, prompting the presiding officer, Colorado Republican Cory Gardner, to object that they were out of order.

Clerk: “Ms. Cantwell.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell: “This is not—”

Sen. Cory Gardner: “Debate is not allowed during a vote.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell: “—business as usual.

Sen. Cory Gardner: “Debate—the Senate will be in order.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell: “You are stealing healthcare from Americans. I vote no.

Sen. Cory Gardner: “The Senate will be in order.”

Clerk: “Ms. Cantwell, no.”

Sen. Tim Kaine: “Madam Clerk?”

Clerk: “Mr. Kaine.”

Sen. Tim Kaine: “When I was sick, you visited me. I vote no.”

Sen. Cory Gardner: “Debate is not allowed during a vote. The Senate will be in order.”

Clerk: “Mr. Kaine, no.”

Democrats say nearly 30 million Americans stand to lose health coverage if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. Supporters of the law are planning rallies in more than 40 cities.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top