Just getting news in that five -- count them, FIVE -- Republican senators are seeking a delay in the ACA repeal vote on the basis that there is no consensus around a replacement plan.
Senators Corker, Portman, Collins, Cassidy and Murkowski have introduced an amendment to delay any vote on repeal to March 3, 2017, according to Bloomberg News reporter Sahil Kapur.
This followed a fairly bizarre interview with Senator Jeff Flake, who described efforts to repeal and replace as "fluid."
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is chagrined, suddenly.
The replies to Ryan's tweet (including mine) are nearly uniformly devastating. Parents concerned about their diabetic children, their loved ones with cancer, and more are in his mentions, letting him know how they feel about a repeal vote.
This follows Rep. Marsha Blackburn's Twitter survey where she fully expected people to agree with her on repeal, only to have 84% of the nearly 8,000 respondents say they did NOT want the law repealed.
Meanwhile, in more disappointing news, the amendments offered by Senator Sanders and Senator Hirono banning cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in the budget reconciliation bill did not pass. Nevada Senator Joe Heller and Maine Senator Susan Collins voted for them, but it was still defeated.
Programming note: Take a few minutes to turn on CSPAN-2 tonight. Democrats are in the midst of a talk-a-thon about all the ways the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid are helping millions of Americans. Yes, they're standing UP for us.
