Can Democrats Stop Obamacare's Repeal?

In the wake of a Trump presidency, Republican lawmakers everywhere are gearing up to make their mark and doing their best to repeal Obama’s most prominent legislation: the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Obamacare has long been a source of contention among Republicans, despite its positive impact on the nation. Most Republicans are of the notion that Obamacare aids the poor, while pumping more and more money out of the well-off. While President-elect Trump’s opinions on the matter are bleak at best, Democrats are still making moves to stifle a repeal, however difficult that may be. But will Democrats still be able to stop Obamacare's repeal or is hope lost?

The latest move to upset Democrats and chip away at the Affordable Care Act came Tuesday, when congressional Republicans set forth a new resolution that would change the rules in order to allow a majority-Republican Congress to vote on a budget reconciliation, slowly doing away with major aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

And while this latest update might sound precarious for the more than 20 million Americans who depend on Obamacare for health coverage, Republicans don’t exactly have an easy road ahead of them.

Because a budget resolution only requires a majority vote, and not the usual 60, Republicans can easily make this happen. However, that vote is only the beginning.

Even after many mandatory committee hearings and votes, Republicans would still have to work towards forming a health care replacement plan, a move that would require strict agreement among themselves, as well as take away their attention from other items on the Trump agenda. This replacement plan would also have to have certain language, related to budget and finances, in order to allow for another simple-majority vote.

Another glimmer of hope? Much of the actions on Trump’s new agenda require bipartisan support and votes, so Republicans can’t exactly try and start too big of a fight now, if they want to garner support later on. However, this move for a repeal by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is jumping the gun. And with so much Republican action taking place even before Trump’s inauguration, it’s no surprise that Democrats are quickly banding together to work towards stopping any kind of repeal.

This call to empowerment from New York Senator Chuck Schumer is just a small glimpse at what House and Senate Democrats will be working towards during this upcoming Trump era. If nothing else, this move by Republicans is a battle cry, and Democrats are standing, ready and willing, to fight it to the end.