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Last updated on Thursday, July 13, 2017
(WASHINGTON) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the upper chamber will remain in session for the first half of August.
"We will be in session the first two weeks of August - that we had originally anticipated not being here," McConnell said at a news conference on Tuesday accompanied by fellow Senate GOP leaders.
Byan Renbaum, of Talk Media News reports, earlier in the day, a group of Senate Republicans held a press conference in which they urged McConnell to cancel the August recess.
Both chambers traditionally adjourn at the end of July and return after Labor Day.
McConnell said Democratic "obstructionism" necessitates the need for additional time to allow the Senate to take action on issues such as confirming remaining presidential appointments, addressing the debt ceiling, reauthorizing the National Defense Act and - perhaps most notably- tackling health care reform.
McConnell said that the text of a revised version of the bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will be released on Thursday morning and that he would like to have the legislation scored and approved by the end of next week.
"We hope to have a CBO (Congressional Budget Office) score by the beginning of the week and a motion to proceed to that bill next week."
Ten Senate Republicans have said they will not support the legislation in its current form. The upper chamber's 46 Democrats and two independent members also oppose the bill.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million within the next decade.
Last week McConnell told attendees at a southern Kentucky luncheon that if Senate Republicans cannot agree on repeal and replacement legislation, swift action must be taken to stabilize state ACA exchanges.
President Donald Trump has urged lawmakers to pass the health care bill before they leave town.
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