President Barack Obama should quickly ink the Keystone Pipeline bill once its passed by the GOP-led House and Senate next year, Sen. Orrin Hatch says.
"My gosh, it means at least 20,000 jobs at a time where our country may be pulling out a little bit from the economy that we've had over the last six or seven years," Hatch, a Utah Republican and incoming Senate Finance Committee chair, said Thursday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
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Hatch is disgusted by Democratic Lousiana Sen. Mary Landrieu's apparent bid to bolster her chances against Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy in a runoff by pushing for a Senate vote on the long-delayed project.
"They're trying to save Mary Landrieu in any way they can, even though they were the ones who wouldn't bring it up, pass it," Hatch said.
"They want to do it now because they're afraid they'll lose that seat. Well, they should lose that seat. If there'd been that kind of leadership, it would've passed before now."
Hatch said the incoming GOP majority will also attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
"We ought to repeal it and replace it. Republicans ought to at least be able to vote on how they think this is a terrible bill," Hatch said.
"The president is going to veto anything we do. At that point, we'd have to really look at that bill and see what we can do to correct and make it better than it is. Almost anything would make it better.
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"It's a pathetic bill that really was brought forth in just a pure partisan way. Only Democrats voted for it, it's costing us an arm and a leg, it's going to rise to a point where we can't afford it."
At that point, he added, there will be "a lot of screaming and shouting" about those who can't afford healthcare.
"If we took it the right way and did it the right way, we can resolve all of these problems," Hatch said.
"It's incumbent upon us to at least try and do the best that we can to get rid of it, but if not to at least come up with a healthcare system that's far superior, better, less costly and will do the job just as well if not better."
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