Trump lashes out on Twitter following McCain’s comments on Friday
Sep 23, 2017, 9:12 AM | Updated: Mar 1, 2018, 3:49 pm
President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in support of Sen. Luther Strange, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Huntsville, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday following U.S. Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) decision to vote down the Republican Party’s latest attempt to repeal Obamacare.
John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Arizona had a 116% increase in ObamaCare premiums last year, with deductibles very high. Chuck Schumer sold John McCain a bill of goods. Sad
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Large Block Grants to States is a good thing to do. Better control & management. Great for Arizona. McCain let his best friend L.G. down!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Trump didn’t seem too bothered by McCain’s latest comments when he addressed the crowd at a campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, Friday evening, but now it seems that’s a different story.
Trump said “it’s fine” and said “we’re going to do it eventually, we’re going to do it eventually,” when talking about repealing Obamacare.
McCain said earlier Friday that he would vote “no” again when it came to repealing and replacing Obamacare.
“I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal,” McCain said in a statement. “I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried.”
McCain said he objected to the Senate bill because it was not subject to debate, amendments and review by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
“I [could not] support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will affect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it,” he said. “Without a full CBO score, which won’t be available by the end of the month, we won’t have reliable answers to any of those questions.”
McCain compared the bill to Obamacare, saying it relied on party lines for passage and would not create a lasting solution.
“Our success could be as short-lived as theirs when the political winds shift, as they regularly do,” he said.
“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.”
McCain’s decision to not back the bill put him at odds with Gov. Doug Ducey, who supports it.
Two months ago, McCain’s no vote sank another Republican attempt at repealing Obamacare. McCain worked closely with the governor in the days leading up to the vote.
The latest effort to repeal Obamacare was sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), some of McCain’s closest allies in the Senate.
Studies said the bill would hit states that have expanded Medicare, such as Arizona, the hardest. A study from consulting firm Avalere Health estimated the state would receive about $133 billion less in federal funding under the latest health care plan.
The left-leaning Center for American Progress estimated about 511,000 Arizonans would lose health care coverage.
