John McCain and two other Republicans sink ‘skinny’ Obamacare repeal bill
Washington/New York — Republican Senator John McCain joined with two of his GOP colleagues to block a stripped-down Obamacare repeal bill early Friday, throwing into doubt the party’s months-long effort to pass a health bill. The decision by McCain came after weeks of brinkmanship and after a dramatic entrance to cast the 50th vote to start debate on the bill earlier this week by the cancer-stricken senior senator. The GOP’s "skinny" repeal bill was defeated 49-51, falling just short of the 50 votes needed to advance it. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski also voted against it. Collins voted no first, then Murkowski, followed by McCain, who came to the well of the Senate and gave a thumbs down, dooming the repeal bill to loud gasps, mostly from the Democratic side of the aisle. Republican leaders stood together looking grim as their back-up repeal plan appeared to collapse. It was not immediately clear whether Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell would seek to t...
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