GOP Plan to Repeal ObamaCare Looks Doomed

And just like that, Mitch McConnell's plan to repeal ObamaCare with a two-year delay appears to be doomed. McConnell announced the revised strategy Monday night, and he could afford only two GOP defections. Already, he's got three: Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Tuesday they can't support the idea of scrapping the Affordable Care Act unless the GOP has a replacement plan, not just the promise of one, reports USA Today.

• Trump's suggestion: The president says the GOP strategy is clearer now: "I think we're probably in that position where we'll just let ObamaCare fail," he told reporters Tuesday, per Politico. "We're not gonna own it. I'm not gonna own it. We'll let ObamaCare fail and then Democrats are going to come to us."
• Also opposed: Eleven governors, including five Republicans, also came out against the repeal-with-delay plan on Tuesday, reports NBC News. Here's their joint statement, per Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
• Bad news for HHS chief: A post at Axios notes that Health and Human Services chief Tom Price has been attacking ObamaCare almost nonstop as part of his effort to get the GOP measure passed. Now, "it's still his job to implement the law he so despises."
• Old lesson: An analysis at the New York Times says the GOP got a reminder of something: "An American entitlement, once established, can almost never be retracted," writes Jennifer Steinhauer. Republican lawmakers opposed to ObamaCare in principle were loathe to take it away from constituents.
• Where's the deal? President Trump came to office as a promised deal-maker, but Philip Bump writes in the Washington Post that this latest impasse makes clear that when it comes to legislation, "Trump can't close the deals." His lack of familiarity with the DC process might be why.
• Dollar blues: The collapse of the GOP deal took a toll on the US dollar, reports the Wall Street Journal.

(More ObamaCare stories.)