Senate Democrats Are Holding the Floor to Protest the Republican Health Care Plan | Sojourners

Senate Democrats Are Holding the Floor to Protest the Republican Health Care Plan

Democrats took to the Senate floor on Monday to throw a spotlight on behind-the-scenes efforts by the Republican majority to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law.

In a series of floor motions, inquiries and lengthy speeches, Democrats criticized the closed-door meetings that Republicans have been holding to craft a replacement for Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. They called for open committee hearings and more time to consider the bill before a Senate vote, which Republicans say could come in the next two weeks, although a draft bill has yet to emerge publicly.

Senate Democrats spoke on the floor outlining the real-world consequences of policies outlined in the bill, which Senate Republicans hope to push through before the July 4 recess. Recent polls show that only 29 percent of Americans approve of the last version of the Republicans' American Health Care Act — and a recent New York Times analysis showed that not a single state supports the bill.

Senators are not obligated to hold meetings in the open, but Democrats pointed out that there were lengthy committee meetings and many days of floor debate on Obamacare before it passed in 2010.

You can follow the remarks at #HoldtheFloor and #ShowUsTheBill on Twitter.

Reuters reporting contributed to this story.

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