6:00: Morning News

Capito: Repeal and replace ‘not an option for me right now’

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A plane ride together back to Charleston Friday morning after only a few hours of sleep following a significant vote in the U.S. Senate may help lead to a bipartisan compromise on the emotional health care issue.

U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito were together on that commercial flight and talked about possible common ground after they voted on opposite sides on the “skinny repeal” of “Obamacare.” Both said during separate appearances Friday on MetroNews “Talkline” it’s time to move forward after the attempted by the GOP majority failed 49-51.

“I want to repeal and replace but that’s not an option for me right now,” Capito said. “So we need to move forward and replace as much as we can and make it work for everybody.”

Capito said she’s already talked to a lot of Democrats who have extended the invitation to work together.

“I think I’m going to be one of the ones in the middle of it,” she said.

Manchin agreed its time to look for common ground even it means losing a number of senators to his right and left.

 
“We could lose 20 Democrats and we could lose 20 Republicans and you know something? That wouldn’t be all that bad,” Manchin said on “Talkline.” “If they want to stay that far to left and that far to the right let ’em stay. But by golly there should be 60 of us in the middle to make something happen and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Both Manchin and Capito stressed its important to move forward quickly because of problems with the exchanges and individual insurance markets.

“We’ve got to do something quickly because people will be quoted new insurance rates (soon),” Capito said.

Capito, who has been getting pressure from both those in favor of Obamacare and those who want it repealed, said she can defend each one of her votes because she made them with what’s best for West Virginians in mind. She also said there was another driving force.

“A philosophy of my life from my parents is that I’ve got to play the cards that were dealt. These were the cards that were dealt last night. Let’s move forward and help people,” Capito said.





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