Senate Republicans succeeded to return health care bill to the House for another vote
The Republican Party (GOP) in the United States are using every parliamentary tool available to undermine the recently enacted health care law which they unanimously opposed both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.
The GOP launched its attempt to amend or kill legislation expanding the new law in a Senate session that finally adjourned at 2:45 a.m. Thursday. In the end, Republicans found violations in two provisions, forcing the bill back to the House for another vote, reports CNN.
Senate Democrats easily defeated the first of 29 amendments introduced by Republicans, which challenged provisions in the bill such as those involving changes to Medicare funding. Also defeated were attempts to send the measure to committee for reconsideration -- which would effectively kill it -- and other amendments intended to strip provisions from the bill.
But after hours, the Republicans found two minor provisions related to higher education that violate Senate procedure. These provisions have to be removed from bill, and then it has to be voted on by the House again, said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Watch CNN Video with Senator John McCain's remarks
The compromise package would add more than $60 billion to the overall plan's cost partly by expanding insurance subsidies for middle- and lower-income families. It would also expand Medicare's prescription drug benefit while scaling back the bill's taxes on expensive insurance plans.
The Senate plans to reconvene at 9:45 a.m. to consider other GOP amendments, which also are designed to force Democrats to cast another unpopular vote in the runup to this November's midterm elections.
Any changes made to the bill in the Senate force it back to the House for another vote.
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