My fellow American patriots, I sounded the alarm seven years ago about the damage Congress unleashed by passing the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare. Today, the Senate voted against taking the next step in undoing this damage.  

This vote ignored the clear will of the American people. For more than seven years, Republican lawmakers—including President Trump—campaigned on the promise to repeal Obamacare. They rightly noted that Obamacare severely disrupted the health insurance markets, making health plans prohibitively expensive for many Americans. In 2015, Congress passed a partial repeal of Obamacare when President Obama was in office, only to have the effort vetoed.

Now, when we have an administration and Congress in place that could get the job done, lawmakers have balked at the hard work of governing and undoing the hardships of this disastrous health law.

Make no mistake, Obamacare cannot be fixed or bailed out. The health law’s mandates, insurance regulations, taxes, and expansion of government go too deep. No partial effort to address these problems can truly free Americans from the high insurance costs and limited choice they now face. 

In Washington, there are no permanent victories or permanent defeats. We will continue to press for completely rolling back the damage caused by Obamacare and replacing it with a patient-centered health system that works better for all Americans.