Days after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, Senator John McCain will return to the Senate on Tuesday to vote on GOP healthcare legislation.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Arizona senator announced his return late Monday via his office:
“Senator McCain looks forward to returning to the United States Senate tomorrow to continue working on important legislation, including healthcare reform, the National Defense Authorization Act, and new sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea.”
The Senate’s Republicans need their colleague’s vote if they are to proceed with the debate to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). But recently, McCain underwent surgery for a blood clot, a procedure which revealed a primary tumor—called a glioblastoma—associated with that clot. Until today, the date of his return has been uncertain.
It is tragically ironic, to say the least, that a man whose life now depends on health insurance would hasten to revoke it from millions of people. But perhaps McCain’s illness will encourage some rigorous self-reflection, and at last, a change of heart. Perhaps he’ll realize that in his last years, he could take a meaningful stand against his increasingly brutal party—and help to save lives in the process. The outlook is bleak, but in any case, tomorrow we’ll see.