Rand Paul had some terse words for the Republican Party’s health care bill on Thursday night. The Kentucky senator called the American Health Care Act (AHCA), “Obamacare Lite,” and said the legislation was “dead on arrival.”
Paul’s comments echo statements he and some conservative Republicans made on Wednesday in opposition to the bill.
During an interview on Fox News Thursday night, Paul also criticized a press conference House Speaker Paul Ryan gave earlier Thursday, in which Ryan used a PowerPoint presentation to defend the AHCA.
Sen. Paul was unsatisfied.
“He left out a few things,” Paul said of the House speaker’s presentation. “He left out that he keeps the Obamacare taxes for a year, that he keeps the Cadillac tax forever, he keeps the Obamacare subsidies, but renames them, you know, ‘tax credits.'” Business Insider’s Bob Bryan previously outlined key concerns some Republicans have expressed about the AHCA.
Paul argued that the Republicans’ Obamacare overhaul needs an overhaul itself, and said, “this is a message for the speaker, we are withholding our vote. We want a seat at the table.”
Watch a portion of Paul’s remarks below:
The AHCA made some headway on Thursday, earning approval from the Energy and Commerce committee after a 27-hour fight staged by House Democrats. The House Budget Committee will consider it next.
