Sen. Mike Lee Becomes 5th to Oppose Debate on Healthcare Bill

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has joined four other GOP senators to oppose a procedural motion that would begin debate on the Senate Republicans' healthcare bill, according to a Tuesday report in the Washington Examiner.

"We have always said we won't vote to proceed on a bill we can't support," Conn Carroll, Lee's spokesman, wrote in an email to the Examiner.

The Utah senator is negotiating for changes to the bill so it would earn his support, Carroll said.

The other four Senate Republicans who oppose the motion are Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller.

Republicans control 52 seats in the Senate, and they need 50 votes to move the debate on the bill forward, the Examiner reported.

Lee and other lawmakers who do not support the bill could face political payback if the bill fails, according to a Tuesday opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.

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