Schumer: Obamacare Bailout Will Pass, 'Put It on the Floor Immediately'

Despite uncertain support from President Donald Trump for the bipartisan Senate bill to stabilize the Obamacare insurance markets, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to swiftly bring a vote on it to the Senate floor this week.

"Look, this is a good compromise, it took months to work out – it has a majority, it has 60 senators supporting it, we have all 48 Democrats, 12 Republicans," Schumer told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "I would urge Sen. McConnell to put it on the floor immediately, this week."

Sen. McConnell told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday he would be willing to do so, if and only if there was certainty President Trump would ultimately sign it.

"It will pass, and it will pass by a large number of votes," Schumer continued to Todd. "That will put pressure on the House.

"Let's not forget, what this bill does is prevent premiums from going up 20 percent – even more in some states. That falls on everybody's back, and if Republicans think that if premiums go up, they're going to avoid the blame, if Sen. McConnell thinks that, he's wrong. So for the substantive reason, preventing premiums from going up, that's number one."

Schumer pointed to the bipartisan deal constructed by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., which President Trump applauded the efforts, but denounced as "providing bailouts to insurance companies."

"Since the Republicans are in charge, they should be coming up with solutions, and Sen. Alexander, their leader on healthcare, did," Schumer said Sunday. "We should pass it, and pass it now."

". . . The president urged it originally. He called both Sens. Murray and Alexander and said come to a solution. Then they come to a solution, the right wing attacks it, and he backs off. That's not leadership."

Ultimately the president has the power to veto any bill that passes the Congress, and the failures to pass a repeal and replace bill has been a smudge on the Trump administration to date.

• McConnell: GOP Senate Candidates Don't Need to Commit to Him
• Trump Trolls on: 'Wacky' Wilson 'Gift That Keeps on Giving' to GOP