GOP Senators Reject Trump's Latest Bid to Revoke Obamacare Saying It's 'Technically Impossible'

In a surprising turn of events over the holiday week, Donald Trump has declared war on the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. However, this bold move by the former President has been met with skepticism and disinterest from fellow Republicans. Despite Trump's assertion that he is "seriously looking at alternatives" to the healthcare legislation, GOP senators are not rallying behind his campaign.

According to a report by Politico, Senate Republicans have shown little enthusiasm for Trump's plan to eliminate Obamacare. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) expressed his lack of consideration for the proposal, stating, “Boy, I haven’t thought about that one in a while." Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) was more direct in dismissing it as a rallying cry, saying, “I don't see that as being the rallying cry." It appears that Trump's renewed push to scrap Obamacare is not gaining traction within his own party.

The reluctance among Republicans to support Trump's campaign against Obamacare can be traced back to the failed attempts during his first term. The GOP, holding power in the House, Senate, and White House at the time, was unable to repeal and replace the healthcare law. The 2017 attempt to dismantle Obamacare ended in failure on the Senate floor, leaving a lasting scar on the party.

Even though Trump is once again championing the cause, GOP senators seem unswayed. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) dismissed the idea, stating, “I don’t hear any Republicans talking about it." The landscape has shifted since the law's passage in 2010, and many Republicans have resigned themselves to the belief that repealing and replacing Obamacare is no longer a viable campaign issue.

One significant obstacle cited by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is the technical impossibility of repealing Obamacare after so many years. “We’ve gotten so far down the road now that it’s almost technically impossible to do that," Tillis remarked. However, he remains hopeful that there is a way to eliminate the perceived flaws in the law and replace them with something better.

Former President Trump, who campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare in 2016, has yet to present a viable replacement plan. His recent announcement that he's exploring alternatives to the Affordable Care Act has not ignited enthusiasm among Senate Republicans. The wounds from the 2017 attempt to repeal the healthcare law are still fresh, and many Republicans are prioritizing other healthcare issues over revisiting the battle to eliminate Obamacare.

In a Truth Social post, Trump criticized the GOP's failure to repeal the law as a "low point for the Republican Party," but it seems that the party has moved on. The focus now is on addressing healthcare costs, drug prices, and transparency rather than revisiting the contentious issue of Obamacare. As the 2024 elections loom, it remains to be seen whether healthcare will emerge as a central issue for Republicans or not.