By Dave Goldiner July 28, 2017

He sealed it with a hug just after midnight.

Sen. John McCain signalled the defeat of the Republican effort to pass a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare with a hug for Democratic matriarch Diane Feinstein in the Senate chamber.

In a moment of high Washington drama, the crusty Arizona lawmaker strode across the aisle and greeted Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Feinstein after rejecting a final telephone plea from President Trump to pass the measure and keep alive the quixotic GOP effort to kill the health care bill.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

They laughed as McCain said that the reporters in the balcony could probably read his lips. Feinstein embraced him.

When McCain walked to the front of the Senate chamber to cast his deciding “no” vote, giving a thumbs down, Democrats cheered, knowing the bill would fail.

“Skinny repeal fell short because it fell short of our promise to repeal & replace Obamacare w/ meaningful reform,” McCain said later on Twitter.

The bill wound up failing by a 51-49 vote.

It signals the failure of the repeal effort for now. But Republican leaders have revived the effort before, most notably in the House of Representatives where it was considered dead until a tweaked version squeezed through by a two-vote margin.

McCain himself raced back to Capitol Hill after being diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. If he resigns or dies in office, Republicans would replace him, potentially leaving open another path to passing the repeal.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount