McConnell to Newsmax: Defunding Obamacare Not ‘Waste of Time’ for GOP

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Newsmax in an exclusive interview on Friday that Republicans weren’t fighting a lost cause to defund Obamacare as part of legislation to prevent the federal government from shutting down next week.

“I don’t think it was a waste of time,” the Kentucky Republican said. “The American people do fully understand that still, not a single Republican in the House or Senate favors this awful new law — and if they will send us enough additional new members to get rid of it, we will.”

The Senate voted 54-44 along party lines on Friday to temporarily finance the government through mid-December and pay for the troubled healthcare law for the next year. Independents Angus King and Bernie Sanders voted with the Democrats. Republicans Orrin Hatch and Jeff Flake did not vote.

The vote came after an amendment was approved to remove the language that defunded Obamacare, on the same party-line vote.

The House of Representatives had sent the legislation — a “continuing resolution” — to the Senate last week. The House bill included language to defund the Affordable Care Act.

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