Deadline looms for Obamacare repeal

Republicans looking to repeal Obamacare are facing a tightening deadline, with the fast-track procedure being used set to expire on Sept. 30, according to a report from The Hill.

The process, known as reconciliation, is set to expire at the end of September according to the Senate parliamentarian, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) reports.

After that date, Republicans would again need 60 votes in the senate, which would require them to recruit 8 democrats to the repeal and is extremely unlikely, according to The Hill.

While many Republicans have moved on from the repeal, a number of conservatives in the House are pushing for a quick vote before the deadline expires.

The House Freedom Caucus has called for passing a repeal-only measure, which congress passed in 2015, with a 2-year delay to allow for a replacement to be created, according to the report.

That strategy has already failed in the Senate, however, and has drawn criticism from moderates in the GOP.

“Conservatives have pushed for passing ’15 Ocare repeal w/2 yr delay through reconciliation. Then bipartisan replace,” Freedom Caucus spokeswoman Alyssa Farah wrote on twitter.

Both Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have their own replacement bills they’d like to see passed, which include giving block grants to states to spend on healthcare, The Hill reports.

The fast-track reconciliation procedure could not be used again until next year, but Republicans are reportedly planning to use the method on tax reform instead.

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