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John McCain Returns to D.C. 11 Days After Cancer Diagnosis to Push Ahead Obamacare Repeal

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On Tuesday, less than two weeks after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) returned to Washington D.C. to cast his vote in a motion to proceed with repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.

McCain voted in favor of proceeding, leaving the vote tied with all Democrats and two Republican senators — Sens. Murkowski (R-AK) and Collins (R-ME) — opposing. Vice President Pence was there to break the tie, moving the fight to repeal Obamacare forward.

Following the vote, McCain gave a speech, noting he would not vote for the bill in its current state. “I will not vote for this bill as it is today,” he said. “It’s a shell of a bill right now, we all know that.”

As news of the motion passing made its way around social media, Twitter users had a lot to say about McCain’s return, as well as today’s important vote.

Of course, not everyone was upset the motion passed. Republicans have been promising to repeal Obamacare for the past seven years. President Trump has also been pushing for the law’s repeal, giving a speech on Monday featuring “victims of Obamacare.”

With the motion-to-proceed passing, a 20-hour debate on repealing Obamacare as well as its potential replacement will follow next.

Originally published: July 25, 2017
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