Cantor says vote to repeal Affordable Care Act will be soon

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WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) -- A vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act will be scheduled for the House of Representatives soon, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Friday.

"While we have not locked in the timing, I expect that the House will vote on full repeal of Obamacare in the near future," Cantor told Republican members in a memo Friday, The Hill reported.

Republican leaders proposed a bill last month that would have eliminated what Republicans called a "slush fund" within the law -- called "Obamacare" by its detractors -- and used the money instead to fund an insurance program for people with pre-existing conditions. They pulled the bill after it became clear it didn't have the votes to pass.

In the memo, Cantor said he expects May's "full legislative agenda" to include a GOP bill to keep federally subsidized student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent. They are scheduled to increase to 6.8 percent this summer.

The Hill said Cantor told Republicans the House expects to pressure the Obama administration to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

"We will push the administration to finally approve the Keystone pipeline delivering much needed jobs and lower energy prices for families," he wrote.

There will also be a vote on a bill to give private-sector employers the option of compensating workers with time off instead of time-and-a-half pay for overtime worked.

"We will ensure that working moms and dads in the private sector have the same freedoms and flexibility currently offered government employees," Cantor said in the memo.