President Trump praised the Senate on Tuesday for moving forward to debate the bill to repeal and replace the “Obamacare nightmare.”
“I applaud the Senate for taking a giant step to end the Obamacare nightmare. As this vote shows, inaction is not an option, and now the legislative process can move forward as intended to produce a bill that lowers costs and increases options for all Americans,” Trump said in a statement. “The Senate must now pass a bill and get it to my desk so we can finally end the Obamacare disaster once and for all.”
.@SenJohnMcCain-Thank you for coming to D.C. for such a vital vote. Congrats to all Rep. We can now deliver grt healthcare to all Americans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
Trump thanked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for returning to the Senate to vote in favor of proceeding to debate on the healthcare bill. McCain was in Arizona following a procedure which led to the discovery that the 80-year-old senator had brain cancer.
“@SenJohnMcCain-Thank you for coming to D.C. for such a vital vote. Congrats to all Rep. We can now deliver grt healthcare to all Americans!” Trump said in a tweet.
The Senate was split 50-50 after McCain voted yes on the motion to proceed, so Vice President Mike Pence’s vote broke the tie and moved the bill forward.
“Now, we move forward towards truly great healthcare for the American people. We look forward to that. This was a big step. I want to thank Sen. John McCain, a very brave man. He made a tough trip to get here and vote,” Trump said.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, along with every Democratic senator voted against the motion to proceed to debate on the bill.
“We passed it without one Democratic vote, and that’s shame, but that’s the way it is, and that’s very unfortunate. But I want to congratulate the American people. Because we’re going to give you great healthcare, and we’re going to get rid of Obamacare, which should’ve been terminated long ago,” Trump said.
