The Senate’s vote on a motion to proceed on a bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act Tuesday was interrupted by protesters chanting “Kill the bill.”
HAPPENING NOW: People chant "kill the bill" in the Senate chamber as Senators prepare to vote on health care https://t.co/l9QlWL3wVY pic.twitter.com/Qbtf7l9lPE
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 25, 2017
Reporters in the chamber said the chants were so loud senators could not be heard without shouting. The protesters interrupting the bill were arrested, and reporters were told they could not take photos or videos of the protests and arrests.
The protesters were from a group called Moral Mondays, a faith-based coalition. One protester from Moral Mondays who ThinkProgress spoke with estimated they had a group of between 115 and 120 people.
Capitol police began arresting the protesters. Xena, the protester from Moral Mondays, said 28 members of her group were arrested. Capitol police blocked reporters in the hallways from speaking with or photographing protesters who were being arrested.
Reporters blocked from Senate halls where protesters being arrested, shouting, "Kill the bill!" Being told, "no photos. Delete your photos."
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) July 25, 2017
The bill is the fourth attempt to repeal Obamacare. The first three attempts have failed when Republican senators voted against the motion to proceed. The details of the bill being voted on are unknown even by the senators voting on the bill.
As of 2:50 p.m., Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have voted against the motion to proceed. The GOP can lose just one more vote or the motion to proceed fails and the bill will not go to the floor.
ADAPT, a disability rights organization, has vowed an indefinite sit-in if the bill passes.
This piece has been updated to include comments from Xena.