Sen. John McCain on Thursday urged Democrats to set aside the Obamacare fight and allow floor debate on his annual defense authorization bill before he returns to Arizona for brain cancer treatment.
McCain, who arrived on Capitol Hill this week for several days of work following his diagnosis, said an agreement had been reached on proposed amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by his Armed Services Committee in June. As chairman, the Arizona Republican would typically shepherd it to a final Senate vote.
“All I’m asking is … if we could go off of this [healthcare debate] for a few hours because we have basically an agreement on amendments and get this thing to the president’s desk so that he can protect and defend this nation,” McCain said on the Senate floor. “That is all I’m asking for.”
But Democrats have resisted allowing the $700 billion NDAA bill to move because they feel the Republican majority is attempting to steamroll them in its effort to repeal the healthcare law.
McCain’s bill would authorize procurement increases over President Trump’s budget request for 2018, including more fighter jets, ships, and troops.
“My caucus, I’ve spoken to a few, feel very strongly that this process on healthcare has been awful, and it’s because of reconciliation, and now reconciliation has put NDAA in a bind as well,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told McCain during their exchange on the Senate floor.
Schumer said if Republicans agree to return to committee hearings to consider Democratic input and changes to their healthcare plans, then “we can go to NDAA immediately, in an hour if we were to do that.”
McCain had surgery for a blood clot this month and additional testing found an aggressive form of brain cancer, raising questions over how involved he might be in the NDAA process. If the bill passes the Senate, a final agreement must still be negotiated by McCain and his committee with the House Armed Services Committee, then passed by Congress and signed by Trump.
“As we all know, he is available to manage that bill this week … we’re going to try to turn to NDAA and accommodate the chairman’s schedule and give him an opportunity to finish that bill while he is here,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
