The Senate approved an FY17 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 3) by a vote of 51 to 48, with all Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voting against the measure. The House also passed the measure by a vote of 227 to 198 (nine Republicans voted no). The budget resolution includes reconciliation instructions (Title II) that will allow Congress to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
The reconciliation instructions require two House committees (Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means) and two Senate committees (Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) to submit changes in law to reduce the deficit by not less than $1B for FY17-FY26 to their respective Budget Committees by January 27, 2017. The reconciliation process allows the Senate to approve legislation by a simple majority vote, instead of the 60-vote threshold normally required under Senate rules.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) said that a replacement health care bill would come at the same time as the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. President-Elect Trump told reporters this week that a plan to replace Obamacare would come as soon as his nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary gets confirmed by the Senate. Rep. Tom Price’s (R-GA) confirmation may not come until mid-February. Therefore, repeal and replacement of the health care law may not occur until later in February or March.