John McCain is headed home amid reports that his health is failing rapidly, putting the Republican tax overhaul in jeopardy and leading to rumors that the Arizona Senator could be nearing his final…
John McCain is headed home amid reports that his health is failing rapidly, putting the Republican tax overhaul in jeopardy and leading to rumors that the Arizona Senator could be nearing his final days.
A report from CBS News noted that McCain is set to return to Arizona after spending several days in a Maryland hospital while recovering from chemotherapy. McCain will reportedly spend the holidays with his family, meaning he will miss the final vote on a tax overhaul plan. That gives Republicans very thin margin of error given that other Republicans have expressed hesitancy to back the largely unpopular tax cut, but it is still expected to pass.
Some around McCain have voiced concerns about his health. Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime friend of John McCain, said that he is more worried about McCain’s health than his ability to vote on the tax bill.
McCain had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma, the same ailment that killed Senator Ted Kennedy. McCain has undergone surgery to remove a blood clot related to the tumor and has been undergoing a round of chemotherapy.
The report that McCain is heading home to Arizona has sparked speculation that he could be nearing his final days. Various reports have referred to John McCain as “dying,” and earlier this week a report from CNN described him as “increasingly frail.”
The report noted that Donald Trump has called McCain’s wife, Cindy, as did fellow Arizona Senator Jeff Flake.
McCain had admitted when first announcing his cancer diagnosis that his days would be numbered. McCain noted that the aggressive strain of cancer has a high fatality rate.
“They said that it’s very serious. That the prognosis is very, very serious,” McCain told 60 Minutes. “Some say three percent, some say 14 percent. You know, it’s a very poor prognosis. So I just said, ‘I understand. Now we’re gonna do what we can, get the best doctors we can find and do the best we can.’ And, at the same time, celebrate with gratitude a life well lived.”
The fact that John McCain will miss that tax vote has led to even more fears that the Arizona Senator could be dying, though there have been no updates on his health and it appears the worry is based on speculation.
