Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday called on Republicans to work with them on a healthcare plan after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's latest plan for a straight Obamacare repeal failed.
"The time has finally come for our Republican colleagues to take us up on our offer of working together to improve the healthcare system rather than sabotage it," the New York Democrat told reporters.
"We Democrats have held the door to bipartisanship open to our Republican colleagues for months," he said. "It's time for the Republicans to walk through it."
McConnell, the Kentucky Republican, acknowledged Democratic support would be needed after his third Obamacare proposal — repeal now and develop a replacement over two years — effectively died when three moderate GOP senators said they would not support it.
"Sometime in the near future, we'll have a vote on repealing Obamacare, essentially the same vote that we had in 2015," McConnell said.
"In that proposal, there's a two-year delay, which would give us the opportunity to work out a complete replacement on a bipartisan basis with our Democratic friends."
Democrats have repeatedly slammed McConnell and other GOP leaders for crafting a healthcare plan in secret.
Republicans, with a 52-48 majority, could afford to lose only two votes on any healthcare plan.
Schumer also blasted President Donald Trump's call for letting Obamacare fail, accusing him of "actively trying to undermine the healthcare system in this country, using millions of Americans as political pawns in a cynical game.
"By continuing to deny the insurance markets their certainty that they need to function, the president is playing a dangerous game with the healthcare of this country."
Senate Republicans, therefore, "have a choice to make," Schumer said.
"They can follow the president down a path that will lead to higher premiums, less care, and millions of Americans losing coverage.
"They can join President Trump in trying to sabotage the system and hurt millions of innocent Americans to try and make a political point that has failed already.
"Or, they can start today working with Democrats.
"We can work together to lower premiums," he said. "We can work together to stabilize the markets.
"We can work together to improve the quality of healthcare."
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