The Latest: Maine governor opposes Senate GOP health bill
By Associated Press
Jun 28, 2017 12:38 PM CDT
President Donald Trump speaks during an energy roundtable with tribal, state, and local leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)   (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Republican legislation to repeal and replace the Obama health care law (all times local):

1:35 p.m.

Count Maine's Republican Gov. Paul LePage among those opposing the Senate health care bill.

LePage was asked if he, like Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins, backs the legislation and he said no, complaining that the bill doesn't go far enough to fix current law.

LePage, who was at the White House on Wednesday, said he met with Collins Wednesday morning.

Collins is one of nearly 10 Republicans who have expressed opposition to the bill. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell postponed a vote this week because he lacked the votes.

Several Republicans governors — among them Ohio's John Kasich and Nevada's Brian Sandoval — oppose the bill, fearing the cost to states if Medicaid expansion is phased out.

__

12:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump says getting approval of a Senate health care bill will be "very tough." But he predicts that Republicans will at least "get very close" and may "get it over the line."

Speaking at the White House Wednesday, Trump said his meeting with most of the Republican senators Tuesday was "tremendous."

The Senate delayed its consideration of the measure vote until after the July 4 holiday after failing to get the minimum number of votes needed to begin debate.

He says, "I think we are at least going to get very close or get it over the line."

Trump says it's "always tough" to pass a health care bill because the needs of every state are different, but he added, "I think health care is going to be great."

___

11:05 a.m.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the labor organization is running ad and social media campaigns in five key states kill the stalled Senate health care bill outright.

Trumka told reporters in a conference call Wednesday that the bill would deprive millions of working people of health insurance. The federation is running thousands of ads to pressure Senate Republicans in Alaska, Ohio, West Virginia, Nevada and Maine. He is urging Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to join other Republicans in opposing the bill.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell postponed consideration of the bill the after it failed to get enough GOP support to even begin debate. He said majority Republicans want to try again later in July.

___

7:10 a.m.

President Donald Trump is taking issue with a New York Times story that portrays him as disengaged in the push for the Senate Republican health care bill.

Early Wednesday, Trump tweeted that "The failing @nytimes writes false story after false story about me."

Trump added: "Some of the Fake News Media likes to say that I am not totally engaged in healthcare. Wrong, I know the subject well & want victory for U.S."

The Times, in its Wednesday editions, said Trump was less involved in the press for the Senate bill than with the earlier House bill — making fewer phone calls to senators, for instance.

The newspaper said an unidentified senator who supports the bill left a meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday "with a sense that the president did not have a grasp of some basic elements of the Senate plan."

__

4:19 a.m.

The Republican Party's long-promised repeal of "Obamacare" stands in limbo after Senate GOP leaders, short of support, abruptly shelved a vote on legislation aimed at redeeming the pledge.

The surprise development leaves the legislation's fate uncertain while raising new doubts about whether President Donald Trump will ever make good on his many promises to erase his predecessor's signature legislative achievement.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced the delay Tuesday after it became clear the votes weren't there to advance the legislation past key procedural hurdles.

See 1 more photo