Collins, Murkowski to play pivotal role in Supreme Court abortion battle
By Jordain Carney - 06/28/18 07:19 PM EDT
The high-stakes abortion battle looming over President Trump’s next Supreme Court pick will likely be decided by two GOP senators: Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
The two women are viewed as potential swing votes because they’ve made a series of high-profile breaks with their party over health care — voting against an ObamaCare repeal measure, a bill allowing states to deny Planned Parenthood federal family planning funding and legislation that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks.
For Democrats to be able to sink Trump’s nominee — a major win in an election year — they’ll need to win over at least one GOP senator.
Republicans nixed the 60-vote filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, meaning they can be confirmed with a simple majority. With a 51-seat majority and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) absent, Republicans have to keep their caucus united or pick up red-state Democrats if they want to get Trump’s pick confirmed.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/394742-collins-murkowski-to-play-pivotal-role-in-supreme-court-abortion-battle
