Senator John Cornyn: Conservatives That Want More From Healthcare Bill Are 'Engaging In Some Wishful Thinking'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Texas Senator John Cornyn voiced his support for the House Republican bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, saying conservatives unhappy that the proposed legislation does not go further in dismantling Obamacare are mistaken about the complication of the process.

Cornyn, during an interview with Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, stated that a full repeal of the existing healthcare law cannot be done at one time.

"Some of our friends who think we can have it all, at this point, in one fell swoop, are engaging in some wishful thinking...Because, ordinarily, it takes 60 votes in order to pass a bill in the Senate because of our special rules, but using the budget reconciliation process, you can do it with 51. That's the process we're using. But it limits what you can do. It has to be related to spending and not just policy making. That's really the issue here, the parliamentarian and the Senate rules won't allow us to do the kind of policy making we want to do in one fell swoop."

He believes that the more conservative members of the Senate who have come forward to say they will not vote for the bill are not taking into account the current political landscape.

"They're mistaken. I wouldn't accuse them of misleading but they are engaging in some wishful thinking here. We are, unfortunately, constrained by reality and the reality is we can't do everything we're going to want to do and we can't get the votes. We need at least 51 votes in the Senate and we have states that come at this from different perspectives. For example, some that did the Medicaid expansion, some, like my state, that did not and so what we're having to cobble together is a group of people coming from different perspectives and getting to 51 and that's not easy to do when you have 52 Republicans."

Cornyn feels if Republicans do not seize this moment to pass the law conceived under Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's leadership, they will miss their moment to follow through on their primary campaign pledge.

"This is our one chance and I just can't imagine a world in which we fail to keep our promise that we made to the voters the last three elections that, if given the opportunity, we would repeal and replace Obamacare. I get it that this bill is not perfect, but it's the first step in a process where we're going to provide genuine choice and competition, which, in my world, always leads to better quality and better price. Unless we have given up on that principle, then I don't think we have any other alternative than to vote to repeal and replace it."