All Senate Democrats File Amicus Brief Defending Affordable Care Act While Trump Works to Overturn it

PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 14, 2020
CONTACT: Planned Parenthood Votes Media Office; 212-261-4433; [email protected]
Planned Parenthood Votes Pressroom

Show of support for the health care law comes as vulnerable senators in battleground states dodge questions about their records trying to repeal it

Washington, DC — This week, all Senate Democrats filed an amicus brief defending the Affordable Care Act in a Trump administration-backed lawsuit to overturn it, demonstrating their commitment to affordable health care at a time when the law proves a crucial pillar of protecting families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the nation grapples with the pandemic, it’s clearer than ever the public wants engaged, competent leaders who will work to increase health care access — not undermine it. Still, Trump continues to double down on his attacks, refusing to open a special enrollment period for the ACA and pledging to continue backing this lawsuit to "terminate health care." Recent analysis from the Washington Post shows that ahead of the 2020 election, politicians have been trying to distance themselves from their prior attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act — a decade-long effort.

Planned Parenthood Votes is proud to back champions for affordable health care, including reproductive and sexual health care, like Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in their re-election campaigns.

Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes:

"There is absolutely no doubt that the Affordable Care Act has saved lives and helped millions of people access affordable, quality health care — including birth control with no out of pocket costs and expanded maternity coverage. Planned Parenthood Votes is grateful to health care champions like Senators Gary Peters, Tina Smith, and Jeanne Shaheen for their fierce protection of the law that has expanded health coverage to nearly 20 million people in this country. The consequences of the relentless attacks on the ACA by Trump and his political allies are glaringly evident as families look for somewhere to turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. We simply can't afford to allow these assaults on our care to continue. At the ballot box this November, voters will demand elected officials who will fight for us."

The Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions and expanded health care coverage are more critical than ever — especially for women, LGBTQ people, and Black and Latinx communities that already face structural barriers to accessing health care and are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations are fighting to re-elect our health care champions who have gone to bat for the ACA, and elect challengers who have pledged to protect affordable health care:

• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act, knowing that it is critically important for the nearly 118,000 Granite Staters who rely on it for their health care coverage.
• Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) held the line in the Senate against attacks on the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions, including 887,000 Michiganders.
• Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) supports the Affordable Care Act, because she knows how important it is for the nearly 240,000 people who rely on Medicaid and MinnesotaCare.
• Challengers like Sara Gideon in Maine, Mark Kelly in Arizona, and Cal Cunningham in North Carolina are taking on incumbent senators who have tried to sabotage the Affordable Care Act at every turn. They have pledged to protect the law if they are elected to the United States Senate.

As the pressure on our public health infrastructure mounts, Planned Parenthood Votes will continue to call attention to attacks on the ACA from politicians who have put our health at risk:

• Donald Trump and his administration have sabotaged the Affordable Care Act at every turn — including backing a legal challenge that could eliminate the law, undermining core protections like the guarantee that health insurance cover birth control, and pushing harmful Medicaid expansion "work requirements" that kick people off their health care.
• Before a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and dismantle protections for pre-existing conditions, Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) urged her colleagues to "get this f---ing thing done," jeopardizing affordable coverage for 709,000 Arizonans. She also refused to oppose the Trump administration-backed lawsuit to overturn the ACA, saying “That’s their decision” and “it’s not my role” to oppose it.
• Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would take away protections from more than 420,000 Montanans who have pre-existing conditions.
• Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, jeopardizing health care coverage for 588,000 Coloradans. Gardner initially dodged questions about the Trump administration's ACA lawsuit, before admitting he agrees with the administration's claim that the law is unconstitutional.
• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could jeopardize protections for more than 4.2 million North Carolinians who have pre-existing conditions. He also backed the Trump administration-backed ACA lawsuit and asserted, “I support anything that ultimately takes [the ACA] off the table.”
• Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, putting coverage at risk for 230,000 Iowans who receive insurance from the ACA and over 1.2 million Iowans with pre-existing conditions. Ernst dodged questions about the Trump administration-backed lawsuit to overturn the ACA, saying, “Um, I am not going to make a determination on that, I am not an attorney.”
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted in favor of the Trump-McConnell tax scam, which gave a massive tax handout to billionaires and corporations and put the Affordable Care Act at risk.
• Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) committed to voting for Republican legislation that would dismantle the Affordable Care Act, even though it could result in one million Georgians losing their health coverage — before he had even read the Republican bill.
• John James, who could challenge health care champion Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in Michigan, called the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions a “monstrosity.”

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Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.