x
Breaking News
More () »

McCain says he won't vote for Graham-Cassidy health care bill

“I take no pleasure in announcing my opposition. Far from it."
Sen. John McCain (Photo: KPNX)

​Sen. John McCain released a statement Friday saying he could not "good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal."

The healthcare bill, dubbed the Graham-Cassidy health care bill after its sponsors Sen. Lindsey Graham and of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, is the latest GOP attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare.

READ: Sen. John McCain's full statement

McCain, who supports the repeal and replace, has been calling for Congress to compromise to do so -- which he echoed in his statement Friday.

“We should not be content to pass health care legislation on a party-line basis, as Democrats did when they rammed Obamacare through Congress in 2009. If we do so, our success could be as short-lived as theirs when the political winds shift, as they regularly do. The issue is too important, and too many lives are at risk, for us to leave the American people guessing from one election to the next whether and how they will acquire health insurance. A bill of this impact requires a bipartisan approach."

Sen. McCain said he would "consider supporting" similar legislation if it were subject to "extensive hearings, debate and amendment."

"That has not been the case," McCain said. "Instead, the specter of September 30th budget reconciliation deadline has hung over this entire process."

McCain goes on to say he can't in "good conscience" vote for the bill adding he believes Republicans and Democrats can do better together and "have not yet really tried."

In his statement, Arizona's senior senator brings up several unanswered questions as a reason for his decision.

“I take no pleasure in announcing my opposition. Far from it. The bill’s authors are my dear friends, and I think the world of them. I know they are acting consistently with their beliefs and sense of what is best for the country," McCain said.

"So am I."

Before You Leave, Check This Out