(CNN) — Two more Republican senators announced Monday that they would oppose a procedural step to advance GOP leadership’s health care bill, preventing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from moving forward with plans to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Sens. Moran and Lee said they would vote “no” on the motion to proceed — a vote that McConnell had hoped to hold this week but was already forced to postpone due to Arizona Sen. John McCain’s absence from Washington this week.
“We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy. Furthermore, if we leave the federal government in control of everyday healthcare decisions, it is more likely that our healthcare system will devolve into a single-payer system, which would require a massive federal spending increase,” Moran said in a statement. “We must now start fresh with an open legislative process to develop innovative solutions that provide greater personal choice, protections for pre-existing conditions, increased access and lower overall costs for Kansans.”
McConnell could only afford to lose two senators and still advance the legislation, and as of last week, he’d already lost Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
