Trumpcare not backed up by Republicans, Obamacare here to stay

US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell throws in the towel on the latest Obamacare rollback bill after two Republicans said they won't back it

President Donald Trump examines a fire truck during a "Made in America" product showcase. Pics/AFP

The collapse of Republicans' push to repeal and replace Obamacare in the US Senate set up a possible repeal-only vote and clouded the path forward for President Donald Trump's other domestic policy goals, rattling financial markets on Tuesday.

After two Republicans said they would not back the latest Obamacare rollback bill, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell threw in the towel and was weighing a vote on simply repealing the 2010 healthcare law – the Affordable Care Act, passed under Democratic former president Barack Obama – with no replacement.

Mitch McConnell

McConnell said in a statement, "Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful." Trump urged an outright repeal, even as other Republicans sought a shift toward bipartisanship with Democrats. In an early morning Twitter message, Trump said, "We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans. Most Republicans were loyal, terrific & worked really hard. We will return!" Trump late Monday said Congress should "start from a clean slate" on a new plan that he said Democrats would join. On Tuesday morning, he put the blame on "all of the Democrats and a few Republicans."

McConnell said he would try to bring repeal legislation to the Senate floor in coming days, but with a two-year delay in implementation to assure a smooth transition.

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