McCain Strengthens The GOP Effort In The Senate

Senate Republican John McCain has repeatedly challenged President Trump and his agenda. It was McCain who cast the final no vote over the summer, killing the Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.

McCain has been openly critical of the President and the underhanded lengths Senate Republicans have gone to pass legislation without Democratic input and outside of the normal legislative process.

McCain avoided committing to a vote the current Senate tax bill, that is until Thursday. On Thursday, Senator McCain made clear that he intends to support the Senate version of tax reform.

McCain said, “After careful thought and consideration, I have decided to support the Senate tax reform bill. I believe this legislation, though far from perfect, would enhance American competitiveness, boost the economy, and provide long-overdue tax relief for middle-class families.”

Of course, the Senate bill does not accomplish any of those goals and would increase the tax burden for middle-class families.

McCain’s choice to back the tax bill is a win for the GOP  who are looking to get enough support among their party to pass the bill. The Senate bill includes an elimination of the individual mandate in Obamacare and is sure to destabilize the individual healthcare market and through millions of Americans off of health insurance.

His support for the bill looks like a reversal of his position on the repeal effort. While he voted no on the “skinny repeal,” he seemed most outraged over the process by which the bill came to a vote.

He was extremely critical of Republican colleagues for working outside the regular legislative process to push a hasty bill forward. He then urged a bipartisan solution to the healthcare issue.

It seems his Republican colleagues have won him over in part by taking this bill through the normal process. McCain said, “I am pleased that this important bill was considered through the normal legislative processes, with several hearings and a thorough markup in the Senate Finance Committee during which more than 350 amendments were filed and 69 received a vote.”

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