It’s all very confusing, but at the moment it looks like Republican Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) have voted NO on the motion to proceed to debate on the Senate’s Obamacare repeal bill.
What’s in the bill that Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants everyone to proceed to?
No one knows, including Arizona’s Republican Senator, John McCain, who right now, despite his brain cancer diagnosis, is on his way to the Senate chamber to cast the vote that will decide whether this ball of insanity rolls forward or stops here (for now). McCain could decide to live up to his long-cultivated “maverick” image. Will he?
The health insurance of millions of Americans literally hangs in the balance, and protesters already tried to stop the Senate proceedings by chanting “Kill the bill!” in the Senate gallery.
BREAKING: Protestors chanting “Kill the bill” in the Senate gallery as voting began. Being escorted out here —> pic.twitter.com/qn78fqZOYc
— Will Drabold (@WillDrabold) July 25, 2017
Watch the vote live right here.
UPDATE:
McCain returned to a standing ovation and voted to proceed toward debate on a bill that, in some form or another, will take healthcare away from millions of Americans.
The vote is now at 50-50, which means Vice President Mike Pence can—and surely will—swoop in to cast the tie-breaking vote in support of debating the repeal bill.
UPDATE 2: Pence has voted to proceed with debate.
UPDATE 3: John McCain is giving a long speech about the decline of the Senate, how “we’re getting nothing done” in the chamber and in our politics generally, how no one can get along anymore in politics, how people shouldn’t listen to loudmouths on TV and the Internet…
Now we get a lecture from John McCain? Hard pass.
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) July 25, 2017
UPDATE 4: But, he’s calling for “a return to regular order” in the Senate—which would mean actually holding hearings on Obamacare repeal, which the Republicans have not done. Applause from Democrats when he says that getting something real done on healthcare will require openness and bipartisanship. And, he says he will not vote for the bill that’s before them today. Whatever it is.
This is going to prove a very radicalizing moment for a huge swath of the country.
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 25, 2017
Having just cast the deciding vote to save the GOP from going to regular order, McCain called for regular order. History, folks.
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) July 25, 2017
Maverick John McCain pulls the Maverick Move of voting to strip health care from millions of people. What a maverick.
— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) July 25, 2017
UPDATE 5: During a break in proceedings, Senate Democrats—including Washington State Senator Patty Murray—call on Republicans to heed the needs of their constituents (and their own previous words) and vote against Trumpcare.
UDPATE 6: We’re now in the “debate” phase of the bill, but nothing’s happening on the Senate floor. Just silence. C-SPAN says this can go on for a total of 20 hours “over the next few days.”
