Democratic nominee Joe Biden accused President Trump of “trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act” on Sunday with his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
The former vice president gave a warning about the potential risk to the Affordable Care Act as Trump officially nominated Barrett on Saturday to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Sept. 18.
“It’s no mystery about what’s happening here,” he said. “President Trump is trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act. He’s been trying to do it for the last four years. The Republican Party has been trying to eliminate it for a decade.”
“It doesn’t matter what the American people want,” he added. “President Trump sees a chance to fulfill his explicit mission: Steal away the vital protections of the ACA from countless families who have come to rely on them for their health, their financial security and the lives of those they love.”
The Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act close to the election, and Democrats have said they expect Barrett would vote against the health care bill.
Ahead of Biden’s speech on Sunday, the day after Barrett’s nomination, Trump tweeted that the Affordable Care Act “will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper alternative, if it is terminated in the Supreme Court.”
Biden responded to the tweet by saying, “It should come as no surprise that on Saturday President Trump would nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett and on Sunday, lay out clearly what his objective is: to terminate Obamacare.”
The former vice president cited Barrett’s “written track record of disagreeing adamantly” with the Supreme Court’s rulings that have upheld the Affordable Care Act.
“The American people understand the urgency of this moment,” he said. “They’re already voting in droves because they know their health care hangs in the balance.”
Biden also reiterated his calls to senators to “uphold your Constitutional duty” and “summon your conscience” by avoiding to push through a confirmation hearing before Election Day, which is 37 days away.
“Just because you have the power to do something doesn’t absolve you of your responsibility to do right by the American people,” he said.
The Democratic nominee’s Sunday comments echoed other party leaders’ statements, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who criticized Republicans for trying to “undo” the Affordable Care Act on CNN’s “State of the Union.”