President Donald Trump speaks during an energy roundtable with tribal, state, and local leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Senate GOP health care bill (all times local):
10:40 a.m.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is declining to comment on the president's suggestion that the Senate vote now to repeal the Obama health care law, and vote later to replace it. But that idea was rejected months ago by GOP leaders in the House and Senate.
They considered it politically unwise, since it could draw accusations that Republicans are simply tossing people off coverage without helping them get medical care.
President Donald Trump's suggestion came in an early-morning tweet, which said, "If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!"
The idea isn't without supporters in the Senate. They include Republicans Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Kentucky's Rand Paul.
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6:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump has tweeted about the sputtering Senate health care bill.
Trump says: "If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!"
That's an approach advocated by Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who's said he opposes the bill, which would do both at once. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell postponed a vote on the bill Tuesday because of opposition from conservatives and moderates. He's trying to nail down changes by this weekend to assure the bill's passage after the July 4 recess.
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3:35 p.m.
Top Senate Republicans hoping to rescue their push to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul may try doing it by preserving one of his tax boosts on the rich.
It's a break from dogma by a party that has long reviled tax boosts, and most things achieved by Obama. But it could help attract votes from moderate Republican senators.
And it underscores Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's feverish effort to yank one of his and President Donald Trump's foremost priorities from the brink of defeat.
The money would instead be used to bolster their proposed health care subsidies for lower-income people.
In a bid for conservative support, Senate leaders are also considering an amendment to let insurers offer plans with low premiums and scant benefits.
President Donald Trump speaks at the Department of Energy in Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The Associated Press
President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he meets with Republican senators on health care in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 27, 2017. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, right, listen (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The Associated Press
Amelie Hahn of Jackson, waves a message sign on behalf of her daughter. noting the importance of Medicaid for her continued health care, as she and other social service activists, Medicaid recipients and their supporters stage a protest outside the building that houses the offices of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Thursday, June 29, 2017, in Jackson, Miss. About 35 participants began the morning with a protest at Cochran's office, while sending some representatives to meet with his staff. By mid afternoon, the same group continued their outdoor protest at the federal courthouse where U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., maintains offices. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, and Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas speak with the media after they and other Senate Republicans had a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Associated Press
Protesters block a street during a protest against the Republican bill in the U.S. Senate to replace President Barack Obama's health care law Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Demonstrators with Utah's Disabled Rights Action Committee chanted and carried signs while blocking State Street Tuesday afternoon. Utah protesters criticized Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch for supporting the bill and say it will cut life-saving Medicaid services and other health protections. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this June 22, 2017 file photo, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine speaks amid a crush of reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Somewhere along the way, the Republican crusade to repeal "Obamacare" also turned into an effort to limit the future growth of Medicaid. That bit of mission creep is complicating prospects for the GOP, and could lead to deadlock. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Associated Press