Senate releases its version of the American Health Care Act; five GOP senators against

The bill would end the individual and employer mandates, end the Medicaid expansion, convert Medicaid funding to a capped per-member amount, and suspe [View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [The Tap]( Happy Saturday! If you are looking for Ballotpedia's comprehensive review of the week and preview of the week ahead, [y]( can still access the full Tap here](. If you haven’t yet told us what you think of this new format, please reply to this email and let us know! [View the full version of The Federal Tap]( On Thursday, the [Senate]( released its version of the [American Health Care Act]( (AHCA), which was passed by the [House]( on May 4. Like the House bill, the [Senate bill]( is a reconciliation bill, meaning it impacts the budgetary and fiscal provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, commonly known as Obamacare). It would not repeal the ACA in its entirety. - The bill would end the individual and employer mandates, end the Medicaid expansion, convert Medicaid funding to a capped per-member amount, and suspend for one year funding for a certain category of community health centers that includes Planned Parenthood. These provisions were all present in the House bill. - Key differences from the House bill include the following: - The Senate bill does not include an incentive to purchase health insurance in place of the individual mandate. - The tax credits would be more similar to those included in the ACA, basing them on age, income, and geography rather than only on age, as the House bill does. - Enhanced federal funding for expanded Medicaid programs would be phased out more slowly than in the House bill, ending entirely in 2024. Under the House bill, expansion funding would end in 2020. - Under the Senate bill, capped Medicaid funding would increase annually at a faster rate at first, but at a slower rate compared to the House bill beginning in 2025. - The bill next heads to the Senate floor, where senators will debate and add amendments. [The Washington Post reported]( that Senate Majority Leader [Mitch McConnell]( (R-Ky.) said the bill will likely head to the floor next week. [According to CNBC]( Senators [Rand Paul]( (R-Ky.), [Ted Cruz]( (R-Texas), [Ron Johnson]( (R-Wis.), and [Mike Lee]( (R-Utah) announced they are against the bill as it’s currently written. Senator [Dean Heller]( (R-Nev.) [announced his opposition]( to the bill on Friday. - Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the Senate; they would need at least 50 votes to pass the bill, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie as the 51st vote. Senate GOP leadership had previously expressed intent to vote on the bill by the July 4 recess. Republicans hold GA-6 with Karen Handel's victory in the most expensive U.S. House race ever On Tuesday, Republican [Karen Handel]( defeated Democrat [Jon Ossoff]( in the [special election runoff]( to represent [Georgia's 6th Congressional District.]( Unofficial results show Handel won by a margin of 51.9 - 48.1 percent. In what was the most expensive U.S. House race in history, with candidate and outside spending totaling more than $50 million, Handel maintained Republican control of a seat formerly held by [HHS]( Secretary [Tom Price]( (R). Following reports of the election results, the New York Times characterized the race as "demoralizing for Democrats," and Politico described it as "deflating" for Democrats. This race drew analysis and hot-takes from across the political spectrum. Here are two statements from groups that played heavily in the race: The [Congressional Leadership Fund]( (CLF) and the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]( (DCCC). - The CLF stated, "Over the past month, Democrats not only declared this as a must-win, they all but guaranteed victory. After spending more than $30 million, Ossoff becomes the biggest loser in the history of Congress. Like the other Democrats who lost special elections this cycle, Ossoff can be defined as someone who complains about the President, supports tax increases and loses." - The DCCC stated, "In a very conservative district where Democrats rarely break the mid-30’s and Republicans enjoy a massive registration advantage, Jon and his supporters pushed the race to the limit, vastly outperforming past Democrats in both the primary and the runoff... The strong headwinds facing Republicans, incredible grassroots enthusiasm behind Democrats, and a damaged and exposed House Republican Caucus all clarify that we have the momentum heading into 2018." Ossoff's percentage of the vote held steady at 48.1 percent in the [April 18 special election]( and on June 20, while the Republican share of the vote increased from 51.0 percent on April 18 to 51.9  percent for Handel in the June 20 runoff. Handel, with 19.8 percent in the April 18 election, led a group of four Republican candidates who each earned at least 8.8 percent of the vote. More than 259,000 votes were cast on June 20, an increase from the [18-candidate special election on April 18]( when 192,569 votes were cast. Polling leading up to election day showed a race within the margin of error, with numerous polls showing Ossoff with a lead. Handel's victory in Georgia's 6th, combined with Republican [Ralph Norman's victory in South Carolina's 5th]( on the same election night, marks four consecutive special elections where Republicans have held control of seats vacated by confirmed members of President Trump's cabinet. Republican candidates previously won races for Kansas' 4th and Montana's At-Large Congressional districts. Separately, Democrats held onto California's 34th Congressional District after Democrat Xavier Becerra left the seat vacant when he became California Attorney General. - See also: [Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election, 2017]( Norman defeats Parnell to keep SC-5 U.S. House seat in Republican control In the other [special election]( held Tuesday, Republican [Ralph Norman]( defeated Democrat [Archie Parnell]( and three third-party candidates to represent [South Carolina's 5th Congressional District](. Election results showed that Norman won with 51.1 percent to Parnell's 47.9 percent. Norman replaces [Mick Mulvaney]( (R), who became Director of the [Office of Management and Budget](. The race for South Carolina's 5th involved minimal outside spending, including the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]( (DCCC) spending $275,000 to support Parnell and the [National Republican Congressional Committee]( (NRCC) spending less than $100,000 to support Norman. Both organizations released statements responding to the election results. - NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers said of Norman, "He is a principled conservative who will fight to lower taxes for South Carolinians, bring a business-like approach to government, and strengthen our national security. I am proud to have him join me in Congress and am looking forward to working closely with him.” - DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján stated, “I want to congratulate Archie Parnell and his team on a positive and issues based campaign. This is a deep red seat, that aside, Archie ran hard, embraced the grassroots enthusiasm, and made huge gains compared to past Democrats who competed here. It’s clear that Democrats continue to have the momentum heading into 2018.” Norman's margin of victory was smaller than Republican Karen Handel's 51.9 - 48.1 percent victory in the [special election runoff]( in Georgia's 6th Congressional District. Voter turnout in the race was lower than recent elections for South Carolina's 5th, with about 88,000 votes cast compared with about 170,000 in 2014 and about 273,000 in 2016. - See also: [South Carolina's 5th Congressional District special election, 2017]( Fact-checking the roles of India & China in the Paris Climate Agreement Discussing the Paris Climate Agreement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, ["India didn't have to take any steps in the agreement to reduce CO2 emissions until they received $2.5 trillion in aid. China didn't have to take any steps until the year 2030.]( Is that true? India estimated a financial need of at least $2.5 trillion by 2030 to reduce emissions. China has pledged to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2030, at the latest, and outlined other programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. - [Learn more from our fact check.]( U.S. Supreme Court expected to conclude its current term next week. A [non-argument session]( in which both opinions and orders are expected is scheduled for Monday, June 26.  Monday’s is the last scheduled session of [the court]( for its current term, though the court may schedule additional sessions next week if the court chose to do so. The court has issued opinions in 65 of the 71 cases this term in which the court has heard arguments.  Of the six outstanding cases, three were argued prior to Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the court and three were argued during Justice Gorsuch’s first argument sessions in April. Here is a summary of the remaining cases on the docket: - [Jennings v. Rodriguez]( Argued in December, this is the oldest outstanding case on the court’s 2016 docket.  The question before the court is whether the [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]( was correct in requiring bond hearings for any non-citizen alien detained by the United States for longer than six months. - [Sessions v. Dimaya]( Originally appealed to the Supreme Court by former [Attorney General]( [Loretta Lynch]( the question for the court is whether burglary under [California]( law constitutes a categorical crime of violence defined under federal immigration law such that a conviction for burglary in state court could also mandate removal from the United States.  Dimaya argued that similar language under the Armed Career Criminal Act defining crimes of violence was held unconstitutionally vague by the Supreme Court in [Johnson v. United States]( in 2015.  The [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]( agreed with Dimaya, striking the definition of crimes of violence under federal immigration law as unconstitutionally vague. The case was argued before the Supreme Court in January. - [Hernandez v. Mesa]( A case from the court’s February sitting, the question for the court is whether a Mexican national can bring a U.S. constitutional claim against U.S. law enforcement agents for an extraterritorial shooting?  Hernandez, a 15-year old boy, was fatally shot and killed in Mexico by a U.S. Border Patrol agent firing from U.S. territory. - [CalPERS v. ANZ Securities]( Argued in April, the court agreed to hear the case in order to resolve a dispute in lower federal courts over how to assess the legal time limit, under statutes of repose, for plaintiffs to file individual lawsuits once those plaintiffs leave a class action lawsuit alleging similar claims. - [Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer]( A case from the court’s April sitting, the court will consider whether [Missouri]( can, consistent with the [First Amendment]( exclude a church-operated preschool from participating in a state program awarding public funds to resurface the school’s playground. - [Davila v. Davis]( Another case from the court’s April sitting, the court will consider the applicability of a rule about when ineffective assistance of counsel claims are procedurally defaulted in federal habeas proceedings. F/A-18E Super Hornet shoots down Syrian SU-22 jet - Last Sunday, a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft [shot down]( a Syrian SU-22 military jet aircraft after the Syrian jet dropped bombs near the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters south of Tabqah, Syria. The SU-22 was shot down “in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces...The coalition presence in Syria addresses the imminent threat ISIS in Syria poses globally. The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated,” according to a statement from the Department of Defense. It was the first time in Syria’s civil war that a U.S. pilot shot down a plane from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Additionally, it “is believed to be the first time a manned American jet has shot down another once since 1999, when an American pilot shot down a Serbian jet over Bosnia,” according to [The Wall Street Journal](. Syrian state media responded by calling the U.S. attack a “flagrant aggression" and said that the Syrian pilot was carrying out a mission against IS. [Ready for more? Click here for the full review.]( Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. 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