Joe Biden Warns Americans' Health Care On The Line With Barrett Confirmation
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday lashed out against Republican efforts to push Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation through the Senate ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
During a press conference in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden warned Americans that their health care will be in jeopardy if Barrett is confirmed and the court gains a 6-3 conservative majority.
“It’s no mystery what is happening here: President Trump is trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act,” Biden said. “He’s been trying to do it for the last four years. The Republican Party has been trying to eliminate it for a decade.”
He continued: “Twice already the Supreme Court has upheld that law, the Affordable Care Act. ... Now, all of a sudden, this administration believes they’ve found a loophole in the tragedy of Justice Ginsburg’s death.”
President Donald Trump formally nominated Barrett on Saturday to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died earlier this month at age 87 from complications of cancer.
Democrats, including Biden, have condemned Republicans for their plans to push Barrett’s confirmation process through the Senate ahead of Election Day.
In 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland, then-President Barack Obama’s pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. McConnell had said the confirmation would be too close to the election and that whoever won the presidency should pick the nominee.
But just hours after Ginsburg died, McConnell reversed course and said Trump’s nominee would receive a vote on the Senate floor. Many of Trump’s Republican allies have fallen in line, eager to confirm Trump’s anti-abortion nominee.
Scalia died 10 months before the 2016 election. Barrett’s confirmation hearings are set to begin Oct. 12 ― less than three weeks from Election Day. What’s more, voters have already begun casting their ballots.
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