Scranton, PA – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court:
“It’s been only a week since we lost Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, yet President Trump and Senator McConnell are rushing to confirm a Supreme Court Justice who will back their lawsuit to destroy the Affordable Care Act, kicking 23 million people off their health insurance, ending protections for 135 million people with pre-existing conditions and raising costs for millions more, in the middle of a pandemic. Voters across the country are already casting their ballots in this presidential election, and the right thing to do for our country is to allow the winner to nominate a successor to Justice Ginsburg.
Since President Trump has pledged to only nominate candidates from a list approved by two far-right organizations, the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, it’s unsurprising that he has nominated an individual with an extreme judicial philosophy. If confirmed, Judge Amy Coney Barrett will almost certainly vote to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will adversely impact working families, children and seniors. I cannot support a Supreme Court nominee who would rip health care away from tens of millions, undermine the rights of workers and do the bidding of large corporations.
Instead of focusing on tackling the virus and helping millions get back to work, Donald Trump is trying to rush an appointment onto the Supreme Court to ensure that the nominee is the deciding vote to take away protections for 5.5 million Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions. President Trump is more concerned with his own election than protecting Americans from the deadly virus or creating millions of good paying jobs for the almost 750,000 out of work in our Commonwealth.”
