4 GOP Senators Announce They Can’t Support O’Care Repeal Bill ‘As Written’

FILE - In this July 16, 2013 file photo Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Ted Cruz of Texas take part in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. About two months ago Republican Sen. John McCain of ... FILE - In this July 16, 2013 file photo Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Ted Cruz of Texas take part in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. About two months ago Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona likened Cruz and Paul, and others to "wacko birds" for their style of confrontational politics. Paul responded to the party's 2008 presidential candidate and 5th term senator by saying, "The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered. I don't think we need to name any names, do we?" (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) MORE LESS
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A group of four Republican senators on Thursday afternoon issued a statement warning that they are not ready to support the legislation to repeal Obamacare unveiled by Senate GOP leadership earlier in the day.

In the statement, Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX),  Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) say that they have concerns about the legislation. However, they did not say they would refuse to vote for the bill, and hinted that they could be persuaded to back the legislation with “negotiation” or “more information.”

“Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor,” the senators said in the statement. “There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs.”

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