McConnell said the time had come to back away for now from Republican efforts to undermine “Obamacare.” But the feisty minority boss said Republicans had not given up on erasing it from the legislative books.
Passage in the House depended heavily on minority Democrats to support it. The risky move was seen as imperiling the House leadership, but Boehner was ready to end the crisis that had badly damaged Republican approval among voters.
Looking forward, lawmakers were also concerned voters would punish them in next year's congressional elections. Polls show the public more inclined to blame Republicans.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said the party had hurt its cause through the long and dangerous standoff.
“This package is just a joke compared to what we could have gotten if we had a more reasonable approach,” he said.
Associated Press writers David Espo, Steven R. Hurst, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Charles Babington, Stephen Ohlemacher, Henry C. Jackson and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
