It’s way too early to tell with much certainty, but what could this mean?
House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday suggested Congress would seek to use a budget tool known as reconciliation to repeal the Affordable Care Act under the incoming Trump administration.
But at a Capitol Hill press conference later in the day, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not commit to using the process to repeal the law.
Since Majority Leader McConnell has also indicated that repealing the ACA is “high on our agenda,” this could mean he intends to remove the filibuster as a means by which Senate Democrats could oppose repeal. (Budget reconciliation bills cannot be filibustered.)
On the other hand “high on our agenda” leaves lots of wiggle room.
More on the filibuster here.
UPDATE: Ben Carson may be involved in crafting a replacement plan.
Ben Carson says he’s still ironing out his role in the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, but one thing’s certain: He’ll have a role in helping craft the replacement plan for Obamacare.
“I think the replacement obviously must come first and it must be something that is very appealing and easy to understand. And then, only then, would you dismantle what’s in place,” the retired neurosurgeon said in an interview.
Asked if he intends to be involved in designing that plan, Carson said, “Yes, of course.”
