John McCain On Obamacare 'Repeal': 'I Cannnot In Good Conscience' Vote For Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — Sen. John McCain released a statement Friday announcing he would not support the newest GOP attempt to overhaul Obamacare, known as the Graham-Cassidy bill, which many believe is the Republican Party's last chance to fulfill its "repeal and replace" promise.

"I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal," the Arizona senator said in the statement. "A bill impacting so many lives deserves a bipartisan approach."

McCain joins Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky in vocally opposing the bill. Maine's Sen. Susan Collins has also expressed strong doubts about the bill. If three Republican senators vote against the bill along with all Democrats, it will have no chance of becoming law. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Here's A Glimpse At The Latest GOP Health Care Bill, Graham-Cassidy

"No one is more opposed to Obamacare than I am, and I've voted multiple times for repeal," Paul tweeted Friday morning. "The current bill isn't repeal."

He continued: "I won't vote for Obamacare Lite that keeps 90% of the taxes & spending just so some people can claim credit for something that didn't happen."

Collins' opposition comes from a very different place than Paul's. While he opposes the bill for keeping too much of Obamacare, her worries concern the weakening of health care regulations.

"I’m reading the fine print on Graham-Cassidy," she said Friday. "The premiums would be so high they would be unaffordable." She added: "I’m just trying to do what I believe is the right thing for the people of Maine."

The Graham-Cassidy bill combines the Republican Party commitments to cutting spending, lowering taxes and taking power from the federal government. Under the plan, Obamacare's taxes and funding would fall, and the money would be reallocated to the states based on a formula that largely benefits Republican-leaning states over Democratic-leaning states. States would have broad autonomy over how the funding is spent and which regulations to enforce, and most estimates predict the bill would increase the number of the uninsured by millions.

"I am disappointed that Senator John McCain is not voting to repeal and replace Obamacare," said Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who sponsored the bill. "But, as long as there are families being penalized because they can't afford insurance costing $30,000 to $40,000 a year, I will continue to work for those families."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted against previous GOP attempts to repeal Obamacare, may also vote against the bill. If Republican leadership knows it lacks the votes to pass the bill, there may end up being no vote at all.

The White House has already thrown its weight behind the bill, with President Trump offering advice Friday morning to those who might vote against it.

"Rand Paul, or whoever votes against Hcare Bill, will forever (future political campaigns) be known as "the Republican who saved ObamaCare," he tweeted.

Despite the fact that he has previously been the deciding vote killing Obamacare repeal, McCain had originally signaled support for Graham-Cassidy. On Monday, he said he'd be willing to support the latest attempt to kill Obamacare — despite the fact it's being rushed through with only one hearing scheduled and apparently no attempt to work out a compromise with Democrats.

"I'm comfortable with the bill as long as the governor of Arizona has signed off on it," he told a reporter for MSNBC. And yet even with the governor's support, McCain decided to oppose the legislation.

One factor that may have inclined McCain to support the bill is the name that it bears. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the bill's designers and sponsors for whom its named, is one of McCain's closest friends.

"My friendship with @SenJohnMcCain is not based on how he votes but respect for how he’s lived his life and the person he is," Graham tweeted.

McCain's chief complaint with the bill has been about the process the GOP has used to push it forward. Because of the tight timetable, the bill has not gone through the usual process of evaluations, hearings and amendments. The Congressional Budget Office, which typically scores such bills and offers a projection of its effects, has said it will not be able fully assess the bill in the time available.

That means the bill might be voted on without an estimate of its effects on the deficit, insurance premiums or the number of uninsured Americans.

After Sept. 30, the parliamentary measure known as "reconciliation" that the GOP is using to prevent a filibuster on the health care bill will expire, allowing Democrats to block an Obamacare repeal bills. The Republicans are planning to use reconciliation again, but their plan is to use it to pass tax reform.

It's possible Republicans could then try to roll health care reforms into a tax reform bill. But both issues a deeply complex and highly contentious, and tying them together could end up preventing any legislation from getting passed.

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Correction: This story initially misstated Murkowski's home state. She is a senator from Alaska.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images