Senate Republicans advanced an instrument more than an idea for Obamacare repeal Tuesday with a wild vote interrupted by jeering protesters and applause for the pivotal return of an ailing colleague.
Sen. John McCain, who had been absent from the nation’s capital since surgery for a blood clot revealed an aggressive form of brain cancer, provided the GOP its 50th yea vote to formally take up the House-passed American Health Care Act, though majority leader Mitch McConnell insisted the bill was a vessel for amendments and Republicans still do not appear close to consensus on legislation. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking 51st vote in his capacity as Senate president for the fourth time this year.
The process was overrun briefly by a group of protesters in the chamber’s gallery shouting “Kill the bill! Don’t kill us!” and “Shame!” They were escorted away, and voting on the motion to proceed commenced with moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski casting nays. That left the GOP with 48 yeas, minus McCain and Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson—a conservative who had accused McConnell of duplicitously selling the Senate’s version of health reform. McCain was destined to vote in the affirmative. But before his arrival on the floor, Johnson engaged the majority leader one-on-one for several minutes, making the result appear uncertain. He ultimately said yes—immediately after McCain did.
Before the roll call, McConnell stressed the procedural nature of the vote.
“It’s the vote that determines whether this debate can proceed at all. Whether we’ll even take it up,” he said. “After four straight elections in which this was a huge commitment to the American people. It’s the vote that determines whether senators of both parties can offer their amendments and ideas on health care.”
The Senate can now move on to molding the bill—getting Republicans closer to passing some repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act in theory, even if they aren’t closer in practice. Skeptical moderates like Sens. Dean Heller and Shelly Moore Capito, both of whom slammed the final iteration of the Senate proposal, had to be swayed just to “get on the bill,” as McConnell described his modest goal last week.
“If the final product isn’t improved for the state of Nevada, then I will not vote for it; if it is improved, I will support it,” Heller stated in announcing his intention to vote yea on the motion.
The process is guaranteed to be complicated and difficult, the same as it has been all along this year. Right after the motion was approved, McConnell moved to substitute the language of a 2015 repeal bill for the language of the American Health Care Act. Democrats forced the Senate clerk to read the language in full, a time-consuming requirement usually waived in Senate proceedings—and protesters again interrupted the speaking partway through. Standard fare for what’s been a disagreeable process.
But after a few false starts, it will finally be an active one. Majority whip John Cornyn of Texas told reporters that the budget committee will weigh in on amendments to the legislation to make sure they meet rules requirements. Once they do, it’s on. “We’re going to be doing a lot of voting this week. I hope you all have eaten your Cheerios.”
Andrew Egger contributed reporting from Capitol Hill.
