Obamacare 'Repeal' Bill Fails In Senate Vote

WASHINGTON, DC — Senate Republicans failed to pass a simple Obamacare "repeal" bill Wednesday afternoon, which contained no replacement plan, in a 45-55 vote. The original version of this proposal would delay repeal for two years, giving the GOP the interim period to develop an acceptable alternative.

In 2015, the Senate passed a similar version of this bill, but at that time, they knew President Obama would veto it. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Watch: Republican Effort To Repeal Obamacare With No Replacement Falls Flat

The following Republican senators all voted against the bill:

• Sen. John McCain, Arizona
• Sen. Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
• Sen. Susan Collins, Maine
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
• Sen. Dean Heller, Nevada
• Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio
• Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

With the exception of Collins, all of these senators voted for the similar bill in 2015. As expected, all Democrats voted against the measure.

This vote follows a failed attempt to pass the Better Care Reconciliation Act Tuesday night, a more comprehensive reform bill, which the Senate rejected 43-57. Earlier that day, the Senate voted 50-50 to start debate on health care reform, and Vice President Pence cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the effort.

Murkowski and Collins were the only members of the president's party to vote against proceeding to debate. Wednesday morning, Trump called out Murkowski on Twitter: "Senator [Murkowski] of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!"

The simple Obamacare "repeal" bill would not have entirely repealed the the Democratic law. Instead, the move would have essentially defunded the law while leaving its regulations in place. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this move would have added 32 million people to the rolls of the uninsured by 2026.

Republicans are also reportedly considering a "skinny" repeal, which would end the individual mandate, the employer mandate and some of Obamacare's taxes. Observers expect that this version is the most likely attempt to pass, though success on this front is far from certain.

Watch a live stream of the debate below:

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images