Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been diagnosed with brain cancer, and it is unclear when he will return to work in the Senate, his office said in a statement issued Wednesday evening.
McCain, 80, was recently operated on to remove a blood clot from above his left eye. Tissue extracted during the procedure, described as successful, proved to be cancerous, according to a statement from the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where the senator is being treated, that was publicized by his office. Treatment options, including chemotherapy, are being reviewed.
An additional statement, from McCain’s Senate office, said there was no timetable for his return to work in Washington.
“Senator McCain appreciates the outpouring of support he has received over the last few days. He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona,” the statement said. “He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective. Further consultations with Senator McCain’s Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate.”
McCain’s absence is likely to complicate Republican efforts to pass legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. The GOP bill in the Senate is stalled for lack of votes for the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which McCain supported. A separate bill, which would repeal the Affordable Care Act but delay passage of a replacement by two years while the details are hashed out, also lacks the votes to pass.
Republicans can only afford to lose two votes and still pass a repeal package. Without McCain present, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and President Trump essentially need to whip an extra “yes” vote that they wouldn’t have needed otherwise. McConnell released a statement calling McCain an American hero and wishing him a speedy recovery.
“John McCain is a hero to our Conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life. The entire Senate family’s prayers are with John, Cindy and his family, his staff, and the people of Arizona he represents so well,” McConnell said.
McCain, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. He served in the Navy as a pilot in Vietnam, where he was captured and held as a prisoner of war for five and a half years, during which he endured physical and mental torture for refusing to cooperate with his Vietnamese captors.
As news spread of his condition, there was an outpouring of good wishes from colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in both the House and the Senate.
“John McCain has always been a warrior. It’s who he is. I know John is going to fight this with the same sheer force of will that has earned him the admiration of the nation,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement.
“John McCain is a fighter, and I am hopeful he will once again beat the odds,” Sen. Chris Coon, D-Del., said. “During his naval service, John survived a terrible fire on board the USS Forrestal, he served being shot down and he survived five and a half hard years of captivity. I have had the honor of serving with him and traveling with him repeatedly over the past seven years and he is a true leader and an American hero. I am praying for his full recovery and for the return of his forceful voice in the Senate.”
McCain has kept up a busy international travel schedule since Trump took office, acting as something of a shadow diplomat and reassuring U.S. allies worried about the president’s commitment to maintaining America’s role as a global leader that Washington doesn’t plan to recede from the world.
Following is the full statement from the Mayo Clinic on McCain’s condition:
“On Friday, July 14, Sen. John McCain underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot.
“Scanning done since the procedure (a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision) shows that the tissue of concern was completely resected by imaging criteria.
“The Senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
“The Senator’s doctors say he is recovering from his surgery ‘amazingly well’ and his underlying health is excellent.”
