McCain 'No' Vote Sends GOP Back to Square One

'Skinny' repeal fails with 49-51 vote
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2017 1:50 AM CDT
McCain Vote Helps Defeat 'Skinny' Repeal Bill
The measure was defeated in a dramatic late-night vote.   (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

The Republican "skinny" ObamaCare repeal plan was defeated in a dramatic late-night Senate hearing early Friday, with Sen. John McCain and two other Republicans voting against it. With Vice President Mike Pence on hand to cast a deciding vote if necessary, the bill failed in a 49 to 51 vote, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski also voting no, the Guardian reports. The defeat put GOP efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare back to square one—and drew an angry response from President Trump. "3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down," he tweeted. "As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!"

Before the vote, Trump tweeted: "Go Republican Senators, Go! Get there after waiting for 7 years." "Our only regret is that we didn’t achieve what we hoped to accomplish," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the measure was defeated. "It's time to move on." The "skinny" repeal bill, which included a partial rollback of ObamaCare amid sweeping changes to the health system, was only unveiled in full a few hours before the vote. Republican leaders insisted it would never become law, describing it as a way to keep negotiations with the House going, though McCain was apparently unconvinced by House Speaker Paul Ryan's guarantee, the Washington Post reports. (More ObamaCare stories.)

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