Collins issues statement on final Senate health care vote

(WASHINGTON—) – This morning, the Senate chose not to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act by a vote of 49-51. Congressman Doug Collins (R-Ga.) issued the following statement in response:

“Some of my colleagues across the aisle believe that the Senate’s vote against repealing Obamacare was heroic. I believe it was a failure of process, a process that could have included both houses and both parties in a conference committee. People chose not to move forward on solutions for a health care system in crisis, yet the reason we come to these chambers is to move forward. Obamacare has brought Americans in northeast Georgia and across the country nominal positives and crushing negatives. Allowing Obamacare to remain intact today is no victory for them and only darkens the shadow that has hung over America’s health care landscape for seven years.”

A Senate vote on the so-called ‘skinny repeal’ of the Affordable Care Act (more commonly referred to as Obamacare) failed when Arizona Senator John McCain voted against it. McCain joined two of his GOP colleagues, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and all 48 Senate Democrats in voting down the measure.