Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the sponsors of the Republican legislation to overhaul Obamacare, said Arizona Sen. John McCain can vote any way he wants to on his bill.
“He’s one of my dearest friends in the world and John McCain can do whatever damn he wants to, he’s earned that right,” Graham said during the CNN healthcare debate Monday night. “John has said he wants to repeal and replace Obamacare. He’s voted in 2015 to repeal Obamacare through the same process. He also says that we want to have a bipartisan solution. The difference between John and myself is I really don’t see much space here. If I thought I did, I would tell you otherwise, but let me tell you about Sen. McCain. He’s not for Berniecare, Bernie. I know you like the vote he took, but he doesn’t want socialized medicine and I know you do and I think you believe it’s best for America. I believe it’s the end of healthcare as we know it.”
“So Senator McCain has talked about a better process,” he added. “John, if you’re listening, if we fall short, we’ll try to have a better process. Nobody respects you more than I do.
“So to any American who has got a problem with John McCain’s vote, all I can tell you is that John McCain was willing to die for this country and he can vote any way he wants to and it doesn’t matter to me.”
The Graham-Cassidy bill is sponsored by Graham, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Dean Heller of Nevada, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. It would send Obamacare funding to states in the form of block grants and would remove Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates.
McCain and Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine have said that they will not support the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to hold a vote this week on the bill. The Senate has until Sept. 30 to use the reconciliation tool that requires 51 votes to repeal parts of Obamacare. But with three “no” votes from Republicans and all Democrats expected to vote against it, passage looks doubtful.
