Senate Republicans have decided to go it alone down a path of pain for millions of Americans and destruction of their futures by voting to move forward on a plan to take healthcare away from millions of Americans, and with one great move, Democrats made sure that Trump and the GOP own it.
Swing votes Capito, Heller, and Portman all voted to move forward with debate.
Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted no.
Democrats would not vote until after all Republicans had voted, just to make sure that all of America knows who is responsible for this.
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John McCain flew in on a private jet, while battling brain cancer, just so he could vote to take healthcare away from other people:
JUST IN: Sen. McCain has returned to Washington, DC – @MSNBC https://t.co/fA3OFkoXDR
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) July 25, 2017
There was drama as Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was seen having a very tense conversation with McConnell on the Senate floor:
McConnell and Johnson grip the sides of the desk as they chat. How will Johnson (R-WI) vote ?? pic.twitter.com/13ISR9cI1k
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) July 25, 2017
With the vote to move forward stuck at 48-2, Johnson was the make or break vote.
The conversation between Johnson, McConnell, and Cornyn didn’t look friendly:
VERY INTENSE conversation between McConnell and holdout Ron Johnson pic.twitter.com/s2XG1G5V9C
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) July 25, 2017
Johnson voted to move forward, and then Democrats rolled in with a unanimous no vote.
Trump said that Democrats would own healthcare, but Senate Democrats pulled off a brilliant move that made it clear who really owns this bill, and who will be held responsible for all of the chaos that is about to follow. Healthcare now belongs to the Republicans, and voters will make them pay the price in 2018.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association