House Dem mocks GOP's 'invisible' healthcare replacement bill

Two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that President Barack Obama's health care law was constitutional, the Republican-led House voted 244-185 today to repeal it.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

It was the 33rd time in 18 months that the GOP House majority has tried to scrap, defund or scale back the law.  Democrats control the Senate, so actual repeal won't happen this year.

While Republicans vow to "repeal and replace" Obamacare someday, they still aren't saying what they'd replace it with.

Before today's vote, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) mocked the absence of a healthcare replacement bill from Republicans. 

Green held a copy of the 2,000-plus-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in his left hand, and the GOP's "invisible" plan to fix healthcare in his right hand.  It is hilarious!:

"This is the replacement bill," he said, looking at his empty hand, "and they want me to be sure that I understand the replacement bill before I vote to repeal."

"So what I'd like to do now, for all within the sound of my voice and who are viewing this, I want to read the replacement bill," he said mockingly. "I shall read the replacement bill -- let me just read half of it first. I shall now read one half of the replacement bill."

After a silent pause of a few seconds, Green then said, "Now, I shall read the other half of the replacement bill (insert another silent pause here)"

To ward off complaints that he reads too fast, Green read the entire "invisible" bill again (silently pausing again), and asked that the bill be placed in the Congressional Record.

"I'm going to ask that I be allowed to place the replacement bill in the record," he said. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker."