WASHINGTON β Republican Sen. John McCain has returned home to Arizona after being hospitalized for a viral infection while battling brain cancer and will miss a crucial Senate vote on the GOP tax package, his office said Sunday.
The 81-year-old senator will undergo physical therapy and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in the state after spending several days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. In a brief statement, the office provided an assessment from Dr. Mark Gilbert, chief of neuro-oncology at the National Institutes of Healthβs National Cancer Institute.
βSenator McCain has responded well to treatment he received at Walter Reed Medical Center for a viral infection and continues to improve,β Gilbert said. βAn evaluation of his underlying cancer shows he is responding positively to ongoing treatment.β
McCain expressed appreciation for his care and the outpouring of support and, according to his office, βlooks forward to returning to Washington in January.β
Now in his sixth Senate term, McCain underwent surgery in mid-July to remove a 2-inch blood clot in his brain after being diagnosed with glioblastoma.
His daughter, Meghan McCain, tweeted Sunday: βMy father is doing well and we are all looking forward to spending Christmas together in Arizona.β
Earlier in the day, President Trump told reporters he had spoken to McCainβs wife, Cindy.
βTheyβve headed back, but I understand heβll come if we ever needed his vote, which hopefully we wonβt,β Trump said after returning to the White House from Camp David. βBut the word is that John will come back if we need his vote. And itβs too bad. Heβs going through a very tough time, thereβs no question about it. But he will come back if we need his vote.β
Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate, and McCain and Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., missed votes last week. The 80-year-old Cochran had a non-melanoma lesion removed from his nose last week. He is expected to vote on the tax bill.
Republicans secured the support of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker last Friday for the tax measure, and they are poised to pass the bill by a narrow margin in the face of unified Democratic opposition. As a backstop, Vice President Mike Pence would be available to break a Senate tie.
A vote is expected in the House on Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday. If approved, the measure would head to Trump for his signature in what would be his first major legislative accomplishment since taking office 11 months ago.
After his summer surgery, McCain rebounded quickly, returning to Washington and entering the Senate on July 25 to a standing ovation from his colleagues.
In a dramatic turn, he cast a deciding vote against the Republican health-care bill β a move that drew the wrath of Trump and conservatives.Β
