The Unusual Moral Reason McCain Is Voting “No” on the GOP Health Care Bill

Sen. John McCain announced in a statement that he’ll be voting against the Graham-Cassidy Republican health care bill, a decision that puts the GOP legislation in serious jeopardy.

The announcement is surprising not only because Graham and Cassidy are personal friends of McCain, but also because he’s objecting to the process behind the legislation, not its policy.

McCain wrote that he “cannot in good conscience” vote for the bill because it hasn’t gone through Congress with “regular order,” and that he would have considered voting for it if it had been the “product of extensive hearings, debate and amendment.” He added that the “specter” of the GOP’s budget reconciliation deadline of Sept. 30 has hung over the entire process.

I cannot in good conscience vote for Graham-Cassidy. A bill impacting so many lives deserves a bipartisan approach. https://t.co/2sDjhw6Erapic.twitter.com/30OWezQpLg

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) September 22, 2017