On the Capitol steps after today's shameful #healthcare vote. This is not the way to fix health care. pic.twitter.com/xFFLsCR61U

— Michael Bennet (@SenatorBennet) July 26, 2017

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, tore into Republican senators and President Trump on Tuesday afternoon on the steps of the U.S. Capitol following a vote to move ahead on GOP proposals to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

Flanked by other Democratic senators, Bennet lamented “today’s shameful health care vote” and accused Trump of making a series of empty campaign promises in a brief, blistering video posted to Twitter. His remarks came soon after the Senate narrowly approved a procedural motion to begin debate on several bills and possible amendments aimed at repealing – and replacing, in some cases – the legislation known as Obamacare.

“In Colorado, people want politicians who don’t say one thing during the campaign and another thing when they govern,” Bennet said. “And what we heard from President Trump when he was on the campaign trail was, ‘You are going to love your health care,’ that it was going to be cheaper when he was president, there was going to be more coverage for the American people, and it was going to be easy. It turns out none of those things are true.

“And that’s why, after eight years of calling for repeal, saying things that weren’t true about the Affordable Care Act, we end up with a trick on the floor of the United States Senate, because they’re too scared to vote on the real bill.”

Bennet was ridiculing the procedural gymnastics employed by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had twice postponed consideration of the Senate’s health care bill when it became clear it lacked sufficient support from Republican lawmakers to pass.

As the day began, Bennet noted in a Facebook post that it was still unclear what legislation GOP leadership might bring up for a vote if enough senators supported moving ahead.

“Today, we are voting to consider a yet-to-be seen #healthcare bill,” Bennet wrote. “We don’t know what it will do or how it will affect Colorado. The options appear to be repeal & replace or repeal & run – both of which hurt Coloradans and are completely unresponsive to their health care needs.”

Bennet’s Republican colleague, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, voted in favor of the motion to proceed, which passed 51-50 with Vice President Mike Pence providing the tie-breaking vote.

“I voted to allow debate today because we can no longer subject Coloradans to a failing healthcare system without working toward solutions, and today’s vote will allow that debate to continue,” Gardner said in a statement after the vote. “We can now offer amendments in an open setting to fix our nation’s healthcare system and bring relief to the American people.”

All but two GOP senators – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – supported the move. Several Republicans who had previously said they opposed the Senate health care bill, including Rand Paul of Kentucky, Dean Heller of Nevada and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, threw their support behind the question, and Arizona’s John McCain flew back to Washington after a brain cancer diagnosis to vote with his party. Every Democrat voted against it.