September 26, 2020

Democrats: Amy Coney Barrett Will Strip Millions of Health Insurance

Their opposition goes beyond the hypocrisy of nominating someone just before the election.

President Donald Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee at the White House on Saturday. Rod Lamkey/ZUMA

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On Saturday, Democrats quickly criticized President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, arguing that her confirmation would put millions of Americans’ health insurance in jeopardy.

In a statement, former Vice President Joe Biden focused on Coney Barrett’s “written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act.” Her criticism of the decision is particularly important because the court is scheduled to hear a major challenge to the healthcare law the week after the November election.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) put the stakes in stark terms. “If this nominee is confirmed,” Pelosi said in a statement, “millions of families’ health care will be ripped away in the middle of a pandemic that has infected seven million Americans and killed over 200,000 people in our country.”

Beyond healthcare, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter that Trump’s pick will cap off a decades-long effort to establish a conservative majority on the court that is favorable to corporate America.

Like other Democrats, Biden stressed that no justice should be confirmed until the results of the election are known. “The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court,” the former vice president said. “That moment is now and their voice should be heard.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have objected to her potential replacement. “Justice Ginsburg would have dissented against this transparent effort to dismantle Americans’ hard-fought rights,” Leahy said. “And so should we all.”

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