The GOP may be down for the count in it'south failed attempts to repeal and supervene upon former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act—just don't count Lindsey Graham out just still.

President Donald Trump met with the South Carolina senator and one of his fiercest critics in the Republican party on Friday dark to hash out a bill that would effectively block Obamacare funding, according to two sources familiar with the meeting and legislation currently being drafted. Republican officials tell Politician Graham'due south nib could potentially reach 50 votes afterward a series of failed attempts in recent weeks to both repeal and replace, then simply repeal, Obama's landmark health care initiative.

After last calendar week's latest attempt to remove provisions of Obamacare ended with Sen. John McCain'due south dramatic "no" vote finer keeping it live along with two other senators, Newsweek has institute at least seventy Republican-led attempts to repeal, modify or otherwise curb the Affordable Intendance Act since its inception equally police force on March 23, 2010.

It remains unclear how Republicans will be able to rally plenty votes to adopt Sen. Graham'southward beak, which the president and White Business firm officials appear to be supporting behind the scenes. Graham, the South Carolina Republican senator whose repeatedly denounced Trump's rhetoric and actions since taking role, confirmed Fri night he visited the White Firm to talk over his wellness care legislation with the president.

"I had a great meeting with the President and know he remains fully committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare," Graham said in a argument Friday night. "President Trump was optimistic nigh the Graham-Cassidy-Heller proposal. I will go along to work with President Trump and his team to movement the idea frontwards."

Unless the Republican Senators are total quitters, Repeal & Supplant is non dead! Demand another vote before voting on any other bill!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017

"Unless the Republican Senators are full quitters, Repeal & Replace is non dead!" Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon. "Demand another vote before voting on any other bill!"

Republicans have had an obsession-similar focus on repealing Obamacare since its inception, with the first attempt to fully repeal the bill from constabulary occurring in 2011 immediately after Republicans gained back control of the Hosue of Representatives. That neb, "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Intendance Constabulary Act," passed in a 245-189 vote with the aid of three Democrats, before being voted down in the Senate.

Obama vowed to veto that first endeavour by Republicans to repeal one of his largest domestic policy successes, and proceeded to sentry as the GOP attempted at to the lowest degree 54 more times throughout his presidency to either "undo, revamp or tweak the law," Washington Post wrote in 2014.

The president kept his word, vetoing a later on attempt to repeal Obamacare on Jan. viii, 2016, sending the bill back to a Congress that didn't have enough votes to override his veto at the time.

After shooting down the GOP'south efforts, Obama stressed the party should focus on "working together to grow the economy, strengthen middle-class families, and create new jobs" rather than "re-fighting old political battles by once more voting to repeal bones protections that provide security for the middle course."

There has been some dispute about the verbal amount of times Republicans have backed attempts to diminish Obamacare in some way, whether through a "skinny" repeal which curbs critical provisions to Obama's health care policy, or through an outright replacement similar the House's 2017 "American Health Care Act." MSNBC Producer Steve Bennen placed the vetoed legislation at #62, though he admits "that may exist off by a vote or two."

Attempts by the Republican political party to limit or impale Obamacare entirely range from small-scale provisions or amendments included in other, larger bills, to landmark replacement plans that would each strip upwards of 20 million Americans off their insurance plans.

There may have been over 70 Republican-led attempts to repeal or otherwise undermine the Affordable Care Human activity since it was signed into law by Trump's predecessor, with each major replacement or rollback attempt typically including provisions that would strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood besides. Simply, of the seventy documented attempts to repeal Obamacare, i statistic is indisputable: zero take been successful.

The 67th attempt to reduce Obamacare occurred on February. 3, 2015, when 239 Republicans in Congress voted to rollback the law. The Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 was passed by the House, amended and subsequently passed in the Senate before Obama vetoed the bill upon arriving at his desk.

The American Wellness Care Human action, which passed in the Business firm but was immediately rejected by Republicans in the Senate, was seen every bit the Trump assistants's first major failure in its endeavour to immediately repeal and replace Obamacare—one of Trump's key entrada promises throughout the 2016 election.

An outright Republican repeal of the seven-year former law, which created federal policies protecting people with pre-existing atmospheric condition and has provided insurance to millions who previously were unable to beget private plans, was also unable to garner plenty support to even get up for a vote.

GettyImages-802383680
President Donald Trump, center, speaking with Republican senators nearly wellness care in the Eastward Room of the White Firm of the White House in Washington, DC on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 seated with two of the senators who would add to the defeat of the latest GOP-led repeal endeavour: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, right. Washington Mail, Getty

Another "skinny" repeal of the bill, which would ringlet back major provisions critical to Obamacare's implementation, was widely reviewed past Republicans on Capitol Colina as ane of the terminal attempts in this term to deal with health care, and was struck down past the unanimous coalition of Democrats and McCain, along with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. That would make Wednesday nighttime's failure at least the 70th documented attempt past Republicans to diminish Obamacare in some capacity, co-ordinate to Newsweek's reporting.

The Senate previously voted 51-50 to continue debating wellness care, though it appeared to be a defeated agenda item before news broke of Graham'due south new proposal. It appears Trump hasn't given upwards either, coming together with at least iii senators to discuss Graham'due south meeting, Politician reported Saturday.

Firm Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows, whose coalition of conservative Republicans are critical in passing Republican-backed health care proposals, expressed a willingness to piece of work with the Trump assistants and the GOP despite repeated setbacks.

"We're going to regroup and stay focused," Meadows said. "I'm still optimistic that we will have another motion to proceed, and ultimately put something on the president's desk."

How many more times that may take, is anyone's guess.