By
Jon Reid
May 20, 2015 at 3:18 pm ET
Twenty-four Republican senators have signed onto a letter urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to use reconciliation to repeal the Affordable Care Act as soon as possible.
The letter, obtained by Morning Consult, is being circulated by Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) and says repealing the 2010 health reform law is “the most important priority” for the 114th Congress.
The letter comes just a month before the Supreme Court is expected to rule on King v. Burwell, which will decide the fate of insurance subsidies for an estimated 7.5 million Americans.
If the subsidies are ruled illegal, several Republican lawmakers Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (Utah) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.) have said they would come up with at least a temporary patch for people who stand to lose subsidies.
When Republicans agreed to a budget last month, McConnell (Ky.) expressed his support for using the reconciliation process – a procedural maneuver – to repeal Obamacare.
Three members of McConnell’s leadership team – John Cornyn (Texas), Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Roger Wicker (Miss.) – are among the two dozen senators who have signed the letter, which was circulated Tuesday.
Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Pat Toomey (Pa.), who are all expected to face reelection fights in 2016, have not yet signed on. In contrast, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), a moderate who is likely to face a primary challenge from the right in 2016, has signed the letter.
The following senators have signed Lee’s letter:
- Roy Blunt of Missouri
- John Boozman of Arkansas
- Richard Burr of North Carolina
- John Cornyn of Texas
- Michael Crapo of Idaho
- Ted Cruz of Texas
- Steve Daines of Montana
- Dean Heller of Nevada
- Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
- Johnny Isakson of Georgia
- John McCain of Arizona
- Jerry Moran of Kansas
- Rand Paul of Kentucky
- David Perdue of Georgia
- Jim Risch of Idaho
- Pat Roberts of Kansas
- Marco Rubio of Florida
- Tim Scott of South Carolina
- Jeff Sessions of Alabama
- Dan Sullivan of Alaska
- Thom Tillis of North Carolina
- David Vitter of Louisiana
- Roger Wicker of Mississippi