Sen. Schatz: Republicans Rushing to Fill Supreme Court Seat to Undermine Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Sept. 23:

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today took to the Senate floor to call on Senate Republicans to honor U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish that she not be replaced until a new president is installed, instead of rushing through a judicial nominee that will undermine the Affordable Care Act and rip away health care from millions of Americans.

"The President has made clear that whomever he nominates to the Supreme Court will be in favor of striking down the Affordable Care Act," said Senator Schatz. "Let's be clear: if you got COVID-19, you now have a preexisting condition. So if you got COVID because of President Trump's inaction, and if his nominee is confirmed to the Supreme Court, your insurance company will be permitted to kick you off of your health care plan or increase your rates so high that you can't afford coverage."

Schatz continued, "Ripping away health care from at least 20 million Americans and denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions is a crazy and horrific thing to do in normal times, but it's particularly cruel during a pandemic that has already claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans. We cannot - we must not - impose this catastrophe on the American people."

To view the full video of Senator Schatz's remarks, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xACTcOzKub0&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=BrianSchatz