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Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., defended their proposal to overhaul the 2010 health care law during a Finance Committee hearing Monday. The pair, who have led a revival of the GOP push to repeal the health law this month, said they wanted to keep working to address the law because costs are rising. (McIntire, 9/25)

Sen. Bill Cassidy on Monday pledged not to give up on his Obamacare repeal plan despite lacking GOP support to win its passage by a Saturday deadline. The Louisiana Republican told reporters he’ll “keep plugging away” to find the 50 votes needed to pass the bill using a budgetary procedure requiring only majority support. But he added that he’s done making tweaks aimed at winning over holdout senators. (Cancryn, 9/25)

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said in a Senate Finance Committee that Tennessee hospitals, doctors and Gov. Bill Haslam are behind Graham-Cassidy, the latest Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace bill. But support for the legislation in the Volunteer State isn't that clear or simple. The Senate is trying to pass Graham-Cassidy by the end of the month. The finance committee heard from the namesake authors as well as a few witnesses around the country. No one from Tennessee spoke. (Fletcher, 9/25)

Sen. Lindsey Graham has spent years crafting a reputation as a bridge-builder, a “consensus guy,” on policy areas that typically polarize the two parties. Now he’s leading one of the year’s most polarizing debates, and colleagues and constituents alike are seeing a more partisan side of the South Carolina Republican. (Dumain, 9/25)