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Senator Hatch urges repeal of 'Obamacare,' praises Gorsuch in address to Utah Senate
Summary
Visiting Senator Hatch told the Utah Senate he supports repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, discussed federal land and energy policy, and endorsed Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court. He answered members' questions about the likely federal process for health-care changes.
Visiting Senator Hatch addressed the Utah Senate on federal priorities, urging repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act and arguing the replacement should be less costly and less intrusive. He also discussed federal land decisions affecting Grand Staircase and Bears Ears and praised the president's Supreme Court nomination, saying, “Neil Gorsuch has been nominated to the United States Supreme Court.”
Hatch said states should expect more control over some programs under a new federal approach and described reconciliation as the likely vehicle for health-care repeal, noting that process allows passage with a simple majority. He told senators, “We are going to repeal Obamacare,” and said lawmakers are working to craft a replacement that will save money and reduce federal intrusion.
During a brief question-and-answer period, an unidentified senator asked how repeal would affect states that expanded Medicaid and what Utah could expect financially. Hatch responded that work was underway to bring people together around replacement legislation and emphasized the political difficulty of securing votes in the U.S. Senate while signaling that many Republicans were aligned on the goal.
After the exchange the Senate thanked the visiting senator and resumed its consent calendar business.
