With John McCain on the disabled list, Senate health care vote delayed
On July 15, Mitch McConnell, US Senate Majority Leader, announced that the proposed Senate vote for the Republican healthcare bill – the Better Care Act – would have to be delayed due to one GOP senator being unavailable for the vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with the Republican’s replacement legislation. Senator John McCain, Arizona, recently underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye and would be unavailable for the vote which was tentatively scheduled for this upcoming week. Although it’s not certain how McCain would have voted, his recovery leaves the Senate one vote short to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Senate would need 50 votes from the 52 GOP senators for the Republican-based bill to move forward to the House.
“Two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky — have already said they will not support a motion to proceed to floor debate on the legislation,” according to CNN. At least six more Republican senators have not committed to voting for the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare and are considered to still be “on the fence,” according to Politico. President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence have reportedly been on the phone to those senators this weekend trying to drum up their support for the Republican bill. The vote to repeal and replace could have come as early as this Tuesday.
McCain is in his home state of Arizona recovering from surgery after it was discovered during a routine annual physical at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix that he was suffering from an eye clot above his left eye. On July 15, McCain tweeted “Thanks to @MayoClinic for its excellent care — I appreciate your support & look forward to getting back to work!” His doctors at the Mayo Clinic have ordered a one week’s rest and recovery period. At McCain’s request, the Mayo Clinic released the following statement on July 15 which was posted on the Official John McCain website:
“Following a routine annual physical, Sen. John McCain underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye on Friday, July 14 at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Surgeons successfully removed the 5-cm blood clot during a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision. Tissue pathology reports are pending within the next several days.
“The Senator is resting comfortably at home and is in good condition. His Mayo Clinic doctors report that the surgery went ‘very well’ and he is in good spirits. Once the pathology information is available, further care will be discussed between doctors and the family. In the meantime, his Mayo Clinic care team will not be conducting interviews.”
McCain, 80, was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. Serving in the US Navy during the Vietnam War, his plane was shot down while on a bombing mission over Hanoi. He was captured and tortured by the North Vietnamese and remained a prisoner of war until 1973. In 1987 he replaced Barry Goldwater as the Republican Senator from Arizona.
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Written by: Ace News Today Staff
