• The Gaggle: Trump rally costs, gay couple's rights

    The Gaggle: Trump rally costs, gay couple’s rights

  • The Gaggle: Mark Brnovich sues Arizona Regents, Constitutional Planning Convention

    The Gaggle: Mark Brnovich sues Arizona Regents, Constitutional Planning Convention

  • The Gaggle: State school vouchers, DACA and Hurricane Harvey relief

    The Gaggle: State school vouchers, DACA and Hurricane Harvey relief

  • The Gaggle: Arpaio pardon, future of DACA and Flake's re-election campaign

    The Gaggle: Arpaio pardon, future of DACA and Flake’s re-election campaign

  • The Gaggle: Trump's visit, school voucher referendum update

    The Gaggle: Trump’s visit, school voucher referendum update

  • The Gaggle:  Trump's Phoenix rally, Arpaio pardon and Sinema's run

    The Gaggle: Trump’s Phoenix rally, Arpaio pardon and Sinema’s run

  • The Gaggle: Flake's new book, health care and bipartiship

    The Gaggle: Flake’s new book, health care and bipartiship

  • The Gaggle: McCain's return to the Senate and more

    The Gaggle: McCain’s return to the Senate and more

  • The Gaggle: School voucher petition, health care and McSally

    The Gaggle: School voucher petition, health care and McSally

  • The Gaggle: Health bill, school-voucher program

    The Gaggle: Health bill, school-voucher program

  • The Gaggle: Foster families, Trump's agenda and voter information

    The Gaggle: Foster families, Trump’s agenda and voter information

  • The Gaggle: Arizona's Teacher Shortage

    The Gaggle: Arizona’s Teacher Shortage

  • The Gaggle: A Secret Recording, Mexico Trade and Kids' Health

    The Gaggle: A Secret Recording, Mexico Trade and Kids’ Health

  • The Gaggle: The governor's race and infrastructure funding

    The Gaggle: The governor’s race and infrastructure funding

  • The Gaggle: Corporation Commission scandal and renewing an AUMF

    The Gaggle: Corporation Commission scandal and renewing an AUMF

  • The Gaggle: McCain Trump feud, Ducey's veto pen and Phoenix city hall

    The Gaggle: McCain Trump feud, Ducey’s veto pen and Phoenix city hall

  • The Gaggle: Unfinished business and hallway laments

    The Gaggle: Unfinished business and hallway laments

  • The Gaggle: Legislative session recap, May 2017

    The Gaggle: Legislative session recap, May 2017

  • The Gaggle:  Teachers protesting, a budget afoot and what's up with Stanton?

    The Gaggle: Teachers protesting, a budget afoot and what’s up with Stanton?

  • The Gaggle: Voucher vote, Arizona university funding

    The Gaggle: Voucher vote, Arizona university funding

  • The Gaggle: DCS warrants and Flake gets scorched

    The Gaggle: DCS warrants and Flake gets scorched

  • The Gaggle: Health care in Congress and school voucher expansion

    The Gaggle: Health care in Congress and school voucher expansion

  • The Gaggle: Is the filibuster busted and will Michele Reagan show us the money?

    The Gaggle: Is the filibuster busted and will Michele Reagan show us the money?

  • The Gaggle: Teacher raises, ACA repeal and ballot initiatives

    The Gaggle: Teacher raises, ACA repeal and ballot initiatives

  • The Gaggle: Federal budget and few women in the Legislature

    The Gaggle: Federal budget and few women in the Legislature

  • The Gaggle: Obamacare replacement, George W. in town and TANF benefits

    The Gaggle: Obamacare replacement, George W. in town and TANF benefits

  • The Gaggle: Tax that did not get cut, tweets from Gosar and a non-job

    The Gaggle: Tax that did not get cut, tweets from Gosar and a non-job

  • The Gaggle: SB 1142 is dead and town halls get rowdy

    The Gaggle: SB 1142 is dead and town halls get rowdy

  • The Gaggle: Bigfooted, McCain and HB 2404

    The Gaggle: Bigfooted, McCain and HB 2404

  • The Gaggle: How much debt is too much?

    The Gaggle: How much debt is too much?

Sen. John McCain will make “good choices” in evaluating the Graham-Cassidy health-care bill because “he’s staring death in the face right now,” a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania told a town-hall audience earlier this week.

“So he’s probably going to make good choices and he’s not going to bend to political pressure,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Penn.

McCain, R-Ariz., is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer. The 81-year-old veteran Arizona Republican in July was one of three Senate Republicans to help derail the GOP’s “skinny repeal” plan to get rid of some elements of former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act as part of a larger push to repeal and replace what Republicans branded as “Obamacare.”

McCain, who is maintaining a full Senate work schedule, has not signaled how he will vote on the new plan from Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., that would shift health-care spending for the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and health-care exchanges from the federal government to the states via block grants.

However, McCain has repeatedly called for the Senate to return to regular order, which would require committee hearings, amendments and bipartisan participation in the plan.

Cartwright’s comments about McCain were reported Thursday by the Washington Examiner and the Daily Caller.

McCain’s office did not respond late Thursday to The Arizona Republic’s request for comment on Cartwright’s characterization of his health challenges.

Cartwright, whose 17th Congressional District includes the Pennsylvanian cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pottsville, said he was worried about McCain because Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has come out in support of Graham-Cassidy and “that puts pressure on McCain.”

Dumping “Obamacare” is a top domestic priority of President Donald Trump’s. Opponents have mobilized to save the ACA and stop what they call “Trumpcare.”

According to a Joint Legislative Budget Committee analysis, Arizona’s net loss of federal funding under Graham-Cassidy would be $1.7 billion in 2020 compared to current law, which otherwise would provide $4.9 billion for the state’s Medicaid expansion and exchange in that year.

Nowicki is The Republic’s national political reporter. Follow him on Twitter, @dannowicki.

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