The Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law Act has been passed by the House in what is expected to amount to a symbolic move by Republicans – foreshadowing what’s to come on the political battlefield.
The legislation was passed by a vote of 245 to 189. Only three Democrats voted for the bill, which the Senate has already said it won’t act on. And as long as the Senate keeps its promise, that will kill the repeal effort.
However, the vote instructs four House committees to draft legislation to replace the health reform law. No timeline has been given on when a replacement bill will be unveiled, but many political observers estimate the process will last through the 2012 election.
Despite the buildup for this vote, the vast majority of lawmakers on Capital Hill knew that getting the bill passed the Senate and White House was a pipe dream for Republicans.
But it got the wheels turning for the GOP’s main strategy: continuing political debate on the controversial healthcare overhaul, which the Republicans hope will erode public support for Dems supporting the law.
The GOP hopes that strategy will swing more voters to its side by the 2012 elections, when Republicans hope to gain control of Congress and the White House.
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