Arizona senator opposes Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill

This afternoon, Arizona Senator John McCain announced that he could not “in good conscience” vote for the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill. Citing concerns about a lack of “hearings, debate and argument,” McCain said that “the issue is too important, and too many lives are at risk, for us to leave the American people guessing from one election to another about how they will acquire health insurance. A bill of this impact requires a bipartisan approach.” 

McCain expressed his hope that, “in the months ahead, we can join with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to arrive at a compromise solution that is acceptable to most of us, and serves the interests of Americans as best we can.” 

We applaud McCain for speaking out about his concerns. If you live in Arizona, please reach out to McCain’s DC or home offices to thank him. People from the rest of the country can contact the senator on Twitter: @SenJohnMcCain. 

While McCain’s principled stand is an encouraging development, this isn’t over yet. Three Republicans must oppose the bill for it to fail, and with McCain out, senators like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both of whom have expressed reservations about Graham-Cassidy, will face increasing pressure from Senate leadership to support the bill. That’s why EVERY senator needs to hear from his or her constituents TODAY. It’s especially important for the following senators to receive calls:

Senator Lamar Alexander (Tennessee)

Senator John Boozman (Arkansas)

Senator Bill Cassidy (Louisiana)

Senator Susan Collins (Maine)

Senator Bob Corker (Tennessee)

Senator Tom Cotton (Arkansas)

Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa)

Senator Jeff Flake (Arizona)

Senator Cory Gardner (Colorado)

Senator Chuck Grassley (Iowa)

Senator Dean Heller (Nevada)

Senator John Hoeven (North Dakota)

Senator John McCain (Arizona)

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia)

Senator Jerry Moran (Kansas) 

Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)

Senator Rob Portman (Ohio)

Senator Mike Rounds (South Dakota)

Senator Thom Tillis (North Carolina)

Senator Todd Young (Indiana)

If you see your senator on this list, call and leave messages at as many office locations as possible. Senate staffers report that calls, faxes, and messages from the public opposing this healthcare bill have dropped off dramatically since the last time a similar bill was under consideration. Your senators need to hear from you NOW. Once you’ve reached out to your senators, please forward this alert to friends and colleagues, and ask them to do the same, ESPECIALLY if you have friends, family and colleagues who live in the states listed above.