A week after departing Washington to receive treatment for brain cancer, Sen. John McCain is setting an ambitious goal for his planned return.

Fresh off his vote to help kill a "skinny" repeal of former President Barack Obama's health care law and a dramatic warning to his colleagues about the dangers of blind partisanship, the Arizona Republican said he has taken an initial step toward restarting negotiations for bipartisan immigration reform.

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McCain was part of the so-called gang of eight senators who managed to get legislation through the Senate in 2013 that provided a path to citizenship for those in the U.S. illegally. The measure also contained provisions for improved border security and employee verification, among others.

The bill passed 68-32 with the votes of 14 Republicans but was ignored by the House.

McCain said he broached the possibility of restarting talks with fellow gang of eight member, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., before departing Washington.

"Immigration reform is one of the issues I'd like to see resolved," McCain told The Arizona Republic Thursday. "I've got to talk to him about when would be the best time. I think there are all kinds of deals to be made out there. I really do."

His comments come the same week President Donald Trump, along with Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, endorsed legislation that would prioritize English-language proficiency and high-skilled applicants for legal immigration.

McCain said he has reservations about that approach.

"I think you have to consider that we do want high-tech people, but we also need low-skilled people who will do work that Americans won't do," McCain said. "I wouldn't do it. Even in my misspent youth, I wouldn't do it."

Still, he recognized that a bipartisan approach akin to the bill that passed the Senate in 2013 – when Democrats held a majority – would likely be an uphill battle.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that if we could pass it through the House and Senate the way we passed it through the Senate last time, it's like this Russia [sanctions] bill , it doesn't matter," McCain said. "Do you think [Trump] signed it because he liked it?"

In attempting to revive immigration reform, McCain may have his legacy in mind. The 80-year-old was re-elected to his sixth Senate term last year, and is starting treatment to combat glioblastoma – an aggressive form of brain cancer that has a median survival rate with treatment of about 15 months. The five-year survival rate for patients over 55 is around 4 percent .

McCain said "we'll know in a few weeks" how effective his treatment is likely to be, and when he expects to be able to return to work in the Senate.