The Highway-Bill Drama Now Has Another Wrinkle: An Obamacare Repeal

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has proposed repealing Obamacare as part of the long-term highway bill currently being considered in the upper chamber.

McConnell's office said Friday that the Senate would vote Sunday on an amendment to the highway legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act. The initial vote, which would cap debate on the repeal amendment, would need 60 votes. It seems unlikely to get it—six Democrats would have to join the Republicans in effectively endorsing repeal.

"We'd love that," said Don Stewart, McConnell's spokesman, in an email. "I don't know if six [Democrats] would vote for repeal, but we'll see."

The amendment does, however, give some red meat to conservatives, who have been hankering for an Obamacare-repeal vote under the new Republican Congress and who are pushing for other health care riders on the highway bill specifically. Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz proposed amendments to defund Planned Parenthood in the wake of videos allegedly showing some of the organization's top leadership discussing the sale of fetal body parts.

A substantial number of Republicans are also opposed to reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, which has also been proposed as an amendment to the Senate highway bill and likely will have enough votes to advance because it is strongly supported by Democrats.

The House and Senate have been tussling over how, and how long, to extend the Highway Trust Fund. The House already passed a short-term extension, and its leadership has signaled that's all the lower chamber is prepared to vote on for now. The Senate wants a long-term bill, but may have to at least temporarily settle for the House's short-term extension to prevent the fund from expiring at the end of the month.

House Republican leaders are also opposed to including the Ex-Im Bank provision, so its attachment to the Senate bill would add another note of disagreement between the two chambers.