--- title: John McCain Votes Against GOP 'Skinny Repeal' Bill: Video description: Arizona Sen. John McCain created a dramatic moment when he cast the deciding vote against the GOP's "skinny repeal" for Obamacare. canonical: https://time.com/4878038/john-mccain-vote-video/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-28T15:00:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:46:38.342Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch the Moment John McCain Said No to the 'Skinny Repeal' og:description: He joined Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski og:url: https://time.com/4878038/john-mccain-vote-video/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66c7518995efd6cf/6988d78d22fb8568b5e2229e/john-mccain-no-vote-health-care.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senators Debate Health Care Bill On Capitol Hill og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch the Moment John McCain Said No to the 'Skinny Repeal' twitter:description: He joined Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66c7518995efd6cf/6988d78d22fb8568b5e2229e/john-mccain-no-vote-health-care.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch the Moment John McCain Voted Against the Obamacare 'Skinny Repeal' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jul 28, 2017 3:00 PM UTC  Arizona Sen. John McCain leaves the the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol after voting on the GOP 'Skinny Repeal' health care bill on July 28, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Arizona Sen. John McCain leaves the the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol after voting on the GOP 'Skinny Repeal' health care bill on July 28, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jul 28, 2017 3:00 PM UTC Arizona Sen. [John McCain](http://time.com/4877901/john-mccain-skinny-repeal-vote/) created a dramatic moment when he [cast the deciding vote](http://time.com/4877796/health-care-senate-john-mccain-susan-collins-lisa-murkowski/) against the Republicans’ “skinny repeal” for the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, early Friday morning. McCain joined two Republican colleagues, [Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski](http://time.com/4877922/health-care-vote-senate-skinny-repeal-murkowski-collins/), who had already announced their intention to vote against the bill amid [heavy party criticism](http://time.com/4875702/buddy-carter-snatch-a-knot-in-their-ass-lisa-murkowski/). “Watch the show,” McCain said, [according to Politico](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/28/how-mccain-upended-obamacare-repeal-241070?platform=hootsuite), as he headed into the chamber to vote. He approached the Senate clerk around 1:30 a.m., gave a thumbs down and said “no,” eliciting audible gasps and some applause. Republican Senate Majority Leader [Mitch McConnell](http://time.com/4877730/senate-skinny-obamacare-repeal-bill-unveiled/) looked on from the center of the floor, standing with his arms crossed. The Health Care Freedom Act ultimately failed by a [vote of 49-51](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Flists/roll%5Fcall%5Fvote%5Fcfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00179), earning no support from Democrats. “I sat there with Senator McCain. I think both of us recognized that it’s very hard to disappoint your colleagues, and I know that there’s probably disappointment because it was the three votes that Senator McCain and Sen. Collins and I cast that did not allow this bill to move forward,” Murkowski [said to NBC News](https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/890834025950175232) after the vote. “And that is difficult, but I believe each of us stood up for the reasons that we felt were right and hoping — and I’m hoping — that our colleagues also respect our reasons for the opposition just as I respect the incredible, extraordinary work that they put into trying to get this product.” > [](https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/890834025950175232) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4878038/john-mccain-vote-video/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4878038/john-mccain-vote-video/"},"headline":"Watch the Moment John McCain Voted Against the Obamacare 'Skinny Repeal'","datePublished":"2017-07-28T15:00:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:46:38.342Z","description":"He joined Republican Sens. 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