Senate Republican leaders made the decision Tuesday not to vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare, seemingly conceding that they don’t have the votes to pass the measure. However, on Wednesday morning President Donald Trump tweeted that they did have the votes, “but not for Friday” because one “yes” vote was in the hospital.
With one Yes vote in hospital & very positive signs from Alaska and two others (McCain is out), we have the HCare Vote, but not for Friday!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
Of course, the tweet sent reporters scrambling to figure out who exactly Trump meant. As it turns out, it was a reference to Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, who is at home recuperating from a “urological issue.”
Sen. Cochran is in Mississippi recuperating from a urological issue, but is not in the hospital: https://t.co/4bs43zMWNv
— Stephen Worley (@jsworleyiii) September 27, 2017
So it turns out that Cochran wasn’t actually in the hospital. I guess President Trump heard that the senator was suffering from a medical issue and just assumed he had gone to the hospital for care.
Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm not hospitalized, but am recuperating at home in Mississippi and look forward to returning to work soon.
— Senator Thad Cochran (@SenThadCochran) September 27, 2017
Cochran’s office actually put out a statement Tuesday regarding Cochran’s absence, but it was not widely noted until Trump tweeted about it. A source close to the senator confirmed to Fox News that he is being treated for prostate issues, but underscored that the issue is not serious or cancerous.
Also on Wednesday, Trump called for and end to the filibuster in order to get the GOP healthcare bill passed.
We will have the votes for Healthcare but not for the reconciliation deadline of Friday, after which we need 60. Get rid of Filibuster Rule!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
Despite the delay, the authors of the Graham-Cassidy bill – Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Dean Heller (R-Nev.); Bill Cassidy (R-La.); and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) – remain hopeful that they’ll pass an Obamacare replacement. “It is just a matter of time until we fulfill our promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare with something far better,” they said in a statement issued Tuesday.
We need Sen. Thad Cochran in Washington to help repeal and replace Obamacare! Share this to wish him a speedy recovery!