In what is shaping up to be a significant blow to the White House, President Donald Trump faces another political hurdle in his zeal to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Hours out of the gate, the secretly-coveted healthcare bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell failed to garner the critical support needed for passage.

Based on the how the bill is currently drafted, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Mike Lee (R-UT) have issued a joint statement of opposition.

The statement reads, "Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor." With serious concerns over the bill's impact on key constituencies being expressed by Republican congressmen, the "nay" votes from the four GOP Senators essentially guarantee the death of the proposed healthcare bill.

The president acknowledged the bill's need for revisions on Thursday, stating "It's going to be very good. A little negotiation but it's going to be very good." In the context of negotiation, Democrats in the Senate have declared their unified opposition to the proposed legislation and have criticized Republicans for drafting it in a closed-door setting with no public hearing to either defend or condemn it.


The bill aiming to significantly cut Medicaid down to size has been met with great public frustration. In a demonstration taking place outside of Leader McConnell's Senate office, Capitol Police officers arrested 43 protestors, including disability advocates.