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The U.S. Senate approved a measure by vote on Thursday to repeal parts of Obamacare and to stop providing federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The measure passed with a 52-47 vote.
If passed, the bill would take away the mandate in the Affordable Care Act that requires individuals to have health insurance and companies with over 50 employees to insure their staff, among other portions of the health care law. It would also cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood for one year.
The bill would now be voted on in the House of Representatives, and supporters say it's highly likely the House would approve it.
"The pro-life movement, including Operation Rescue, has fought for years to halt public funding to the nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood," said Troy Newman, the president of pro-life group Operation Rescue. "With this victory in the Senate, and guaranteed passage in the House, we have achieved an unprecedented political victory!"
The House of Representatives has already approved a similar measure in late October by a 240-189 vote, which also would have gutted the health insurance requirement and cut funding from Planned Parenthood. And since Obamacare became law, the House has made 61 attempts to repeal it. Until recently, the House attempts had not gotten approved in the Senate due to the 60 votes that were required for a measure to be approved. However, the bill that was approved in Senate on Thursday was passed under a lower threshold of a 51 vote majority under a condition called "reconciliation," which allows a bill to be passed with the simple majority rather than the 60-vote requirement if the bill has potential to reduce the federal budget.
Most are skeptical the measure would actually become law, however. President Obama has made clear numerous times he would veto any such measure that reaches his desk.
"What they're doing on this reconciliation is just going nowhere," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. "They want to do this to satisfy a few radical right-wing people who they have joined forces with. Another charade may make some Republican senators feel better, but it won't make law."
Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama (R) was quoted by NPR as saying that there's still value in approving the bill in both parts of Congress to "let him know - the president - and others that there's a big division in this country, and a lot of us don't like it, and the American people don't like it."
