Senator Olympia J. Snowe, the moderate Republican from Maine who is retiring, voted present.
Only one Senate Republican — Olympia Snowe of Maine, who is retiring — voted against a truly horrible measure on Thursday that would have crippled the expansion of preventive health care in America.
Pointing to the Trump administration as a "symptom and not the cause" of a government captured by corporate interests and carved up along partisan lines that don't reflect the will of the majority, liberal activists peppered the candidates with questions about abolishing the electoral college, retiring voting rights and reforming the Supreme Court.
For instance, Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, who is retiring, voted for the Democrats' plan in part because it included renewable energy tax credits popular back home but that he had opposed last year when Democrats sought to pay for the credits by increasing taxes on oil and gas companies.
Legal entitlements such as the right to work, reside, retire, vote in local elections and have access to welfare and health systems come automatically from Britain's membership of the EU.
It is a pro-current-employees-having-a-job-until-they-retire vote". La Ganga reported from Seattle, Hennigan from Los Angeles.
"People's re-elections played into this to a much greater degree than I would have imagined," said Representative Deborah Pryce of Ohio, a former member of the Republican leadership who is retiring this year and voted for the plan.
Some of those leaving said they did not necessarily see themselves as empowered to take newly contentious policy positions just because they are retiring — though some votes will no doubt be cast with a little less anxiety about having to explain them back home.
Councilwomen Toni Iseman and retiring Mayor Pro Tem Verna Rollinger voted in favor of city participation.
Mr. Gordon is retiring this year, so his vote to pass the measure does not necessarily mean that Democrats will get 217 votes, but rather it may let another Democrat off the hook.
