AP, Washington :
Newly empowered congressional Republicans challenged President Barack Obama at both ends of the Capitol on Tuesday, voting in the House to repeal the health care program he signed into law but faltering in an initial Senate attempt to roll back immigration policies he issued on his own.
There was a third challenge as well, as Republican leaders announced the House would give final approval next week on legislation clearing the way for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. That would trigger Obama’s threatened veto, the first in a new era of divided government.
The skirmishes all seemed likely to end in eventual defeat for Republicans, but served as a potent reminder of their power after Obama challenged them bluntly last month with his State of the Union address and a no-balance budget on Monday calling for higher taxes and new spending. The GOP won control of the Senate in last fall’s elections, and has its largest House majority in nearly 70 years.
Badly beaten in last fall’s elections, Democrats were defiant.
“They’re baying at the moon, something that is not going to work,” said the party’s leader in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, referring to Republicans as the health care vote neared.
The vote was 239-186 to repeal the health care law known as Obamacare. Similar votes have been held more than 50 times in the four years, but the day gave newcomers to Congress their first opportunity to vote to uproot the health care law they campaigned against last fall.
“Today, I am making good on my commitment to support a full repeal of Obamacare,” said Rep. Alex Mooney, a West Virginia Republican who took his seat in Congress last month.
Newly empowered congressional Republicans challenged President Barack Obama at both ends of the Capitol on Tuesday, voting in the House to repeal the health care program he signed into law but faltering in an initial Senate attempt to roll back immigration policies he issued on his own.
There was a third challenge as well, as Republican leaders announced the House would give final approval next week on legislation clearing the way for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. That would trigger Obama’s threatened veto, the first in a new era of divided government.
The skirmishes all seemed likely to end in eventual defeat for Republicans, but served as a potent reminder of their power after Obama challenged them bluntly last month with his State of the Union address and a no-balance budget on Monday calling for higher taxes and new spending. The GOP won control of the Senate in last fall’s elections, and has its largest House majority in nearly 70 years.
Badly beaten in last fall’s elections, Democrats were defiant.
“They’re baying at the moon, something that is not going to work,” said the party’s leader in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, referring to Republicans as the health care vote neared.
The vote was 239-186 to repeal the health care law known as Obamacare. Similar votes have been held more than 50 times in the four years, but the day gave newcomers to Congress their first opportunity to vote to uproot the health care law they campaigned against last fall.
“Today, I am making good on my commitment to support a full repeal of Obamacare,” said Rep. Alex Mooney, a West Virginia Republican who took his seat in Congress last month.
