Aaron P. Bernstein
The GOP’s “skinny” Affordable Care Act repeal bill failed to pass the Senate in a late-night vote early Friday, with Sen. John McCain among the three Republican lawmakers to vote against the last-ditch effort. Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski also came out against the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the 49-51 vote a “disappointing moment” after the final tally, saying the bill was an effort to make up for the “suffering” endured under Obamacare. The vote came after President Trump urged Republican lawmakers to pass the legislation earlier Thursday, writing on Twitter, “Go, Republican Senators! Go! Get there after waiting for seven years.” The Congressional Budget Office had warned that 16 million people would be uninsured next year alone under the plan, which would have also defunded Planned Parenthood for a year and repealed Obamacare’s individual mandate.