On June 30, Congress gaveled out for the July 4 recess after postponing a critical vote to begin debate on an Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal-and-replace bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the GOP caucus have worked for the last two months in countless hours of behind-the-scenes meetings on what many believe to be a long-shot effort to unite 50 of the 52 Republican senators.

Senators from both sides of the aisle have taken issue with the manner in which the bill has been written and the lack of opportunities to voice concerns and offer amendments through the traditional committee markup process. GOP leadership has countered by noting that the upcoming Senate floor debate will allow several dozen bipartisan amendments to be offered and voted upon.