Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) was emotional early Friday morning after the Obamacare repeal vote failed, with three Republican senators voting against it.
"This is clearly a disappointing moment from skyrocketing costs to plummeting choices and collapsing markets," McConnell said. "Our constituents have suffered through an awful lot under Obamacare. We thought they deserved better. It's why I and many of my colleagues did as we promised and voted to repeal this failed law."
McConnell went on to say that Republicans worked really hard to try to develop a consensus for a better way forward on health care, and thanked all the Republicans for their contributions.
"This is a disappointment indeed. Our friends over in the House, we thank them as well. Our regret that our efforts were simply not enough this time," McConnell added.
McConnell then called out the Democrats for being obstructionists and not engaging with Republicans in a "serious way" to find a better alternative to Obamacare.
"Our friends on the other side decided early on they didn't want to engage with us in a serious way to help those suffering under Obamacare," McConnell said. "They did everything they could to prevent the Senate from providing a better way forward including such things as reading amendments for endless amounts of time."
"I regret to say that they succeeded in that effort, so now I think it's appropriate to ask, 'What are their ideas?' It will be interesting to see what they suggest as the way forward," McConnell added.
McConnell concluded his speech by saying that the American people were going to regret that Congress could not come up with a better alternative to Obamacare, but said that it is time to "move on."
The Obamacare repeal vote failed because Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Susan Collins (Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) voted against it. McCain's "no" vote created a stir on the Senate floor because he was the deciding vote in whether the repeal passed, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Three Republicans and all 48 Democrats and Independents voted down the stripped-down repeal measure of Obamacare that some Republican senators didn't even want to become law, but rather wanted to continue the legislative process to improve the bill. The unusual scene played out around 1:30 A.M. on Capitol Hill.
Trump had called via Twitter over recent weeks for Republicans to "step up to the plate" and keep their promise to repeal Obamacare, writing repeatedly that it was up to them to get it done.
After another setback to this agenda Friday, Trump wrote, "3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!"
3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017