Donald Trump dealt a big blow as Republican Obamacare repeal bill fails in U.S. Senate

In a devastating blow to US President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate Republicans failed on Friday to repel the Obamacare law, falling short on a major campaign promise and perhaps ending the Republican Party’s seven-year quest to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Voting in the early hours saw, three Republican senators, John McCain, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, crossed party lines to join Democrats in a dramatic 49-to-51 vote to reject the bill that would have eliminated some parts of Obamacare bill.

This is clearly a disappointing moment, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told the Senate floor right after the vote.

The American people are going to regret that we couldn't find a better way forward.

McCain, who had voted for a motion to proceed to the bill Tuesday after returning to Washington following surgery for a brain tumor, held out all day, including in a news conference where he criticized the partisan process that led to the after-midnight vote.

His surprise decision came after a prolonged drama on the Senate floor. Multiple Republican colleagues, including Vice President Mike Pence, engaged in animated conversations with the Arizona senator who has long cherished his reputation as a maverick.

Republican leaders had decided to vote on a pared-down proposal to repeal portions of Obamacare known as the “skinny bill” after failing to reach consensus on a more comprehensive measure after the U.S. House of Representatives approved their bill in May.

The setback leaves Trump without a major legislative win after more than six months in power, despite controlling the Senate. The House and the White House, Republicans have struggled for months with repealing Obamacare, a complex law approved by Democrats in 2010 under former President Barack Obama that provided health insurance to millions of previously uninsured Americans.

Trump, who campaigned for the White House on promises to repeal Obamacare, has offered no legislation of his own and little guidance to the Senate, although he has berated them for their inaction.

Republicans hold 52 seats in the 100-seat Senate and McConnell could only afford to lose support from two Republican senators, with the tie-breaking vote to be cast by Vice President Mike Pence, who was on the Senate floor.

All eyes were on McCain, who flew back from Arizona after being diagnosed with brain cancer in order to vote, and sat with Collins, Murkowski, and Senator Jeff Flake, also from Arizona.

McCain was approached minutes before the vote by Pence and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

After speaking to Pence and Graham for some time, McCain walked across the floor to tell Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Dick Durbin, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Dianne Feinstein that they had his vote. Feinstein embraced him as voting began.

Cheers erupted in the Senate chamber as McCain cast what was believed to be the deciding “no” vote.

After the bill’s failure, Schumer told the Senate that it was time to heed McCain’s call this week to return to a more transparent and bipartisan legislative process.

He’s a hero, he’s a hero of mine, Schumer told reporters after the vote.

Trump who had been expected to make rapid changes to healthcare, taxes and infrastructure spending tweeted his dismay after the vote saying;

3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017

The so-called "skinny" repeal, which would have scaled back some of the more controversial provisions, is the third failed attempt to repeal Obamacare.

It would have resulted in 16 million people losing their health insurance by 2026, with insurance premiums increasing by 20%, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).