House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) slammed President Trump’s decision to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court on Saturday, describing the pick as a threat to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“For four years, President Trump has tried to crush the Affordable Care Act in the Congress and the Courts,” Pelosi said in a statement.
“This nomination threatens the destruction of life-saving protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions together with every other benefit and protection of the Affordable Care Act.”
Trump officially nominated Barrett on Saturday afternoon, about week after the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died from complications due to pancreatic cancer.Democrats have criticized Trump and the Senate GOP for moving quickly on a Supreme Court pick so close to a presidential election.
Barrett, a Catholic conservative and a Trump-appointed federal appeals court judge, could potentially weigh in on an administration-backed lawsuit seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act if confirmed by the Senate.
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments for the case a week after the Nov. 3 election, on Nov. 10.
“If this nominee is confirmed, 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,” Pelosi added.
The speaker’s comments echo those of other prominent Democrats, following Barrett’s nomination.
Vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have also slammed Trump and Republicans for moving quickly on the high court pick, characterizing the move as an assault on the ACA.
“The American people should make no mistake—a vote by any Senator for Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act and eliminate protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. By nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, President Trump has once again put Americans’ healthcare in the crosshairs,” Schumer said Saturday.