WASHINGTON — For weeks, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner wouldn’t say which of the Republican plans he most favored to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
But a day into the Senate debate on health care, the answer increasingly looks as if the Colorado Republican supports them all.
Gardner on Wednesday backed a controversial and unsuccessful plan to dismantle much of the Affordable Care Act without a ready replacement.
The proposal, championed by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, would cut the federal deficit by an estimated $473 billion over 10 years but leave 32 million more Americans uninsured than under current law, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
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Also, premiums on the individual market by 2026, according to Congress’ nonpartisan analysis arm.
A two-year window was built into the proposal to give lawmakers time to development a replacement plan.
The idea, however, fell short in the Senate after a 45-55 vote, with seven members of the Republican majority siding with Democrats to defeat it. Among those opposed was U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado.
Gardner previously about legislation that would do away with the 2010 health care law without a prepared substitute. But on Wednesday he stuck with his party, as he’s done all week.
“As I have said many times, I will do whatever I can to rescue Coloradans from Obamacare’s failures,” Gardner said in a statement. “I voted to repeal Obamacare today because it will put us on a path to put forth a replacement that will bring lower costs and more choices to Coloradans.”
A day earlier he of a crucial procedural motion to open debate on health care, a razor-thin win that required a tiebreaker vote from Vice President Mike Pence.
Later Tuesday, Gardner sided with most Republicans in a failed effort to move a version of the repeal-and-replace plan that GOP leaders have debated for weeks. Nine Republicans defected from that idea.