WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined all 47 Senate Democrats in introducing a Senate resolution that would reverse the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent decision to side with U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor’s ruling that deems health care protections enjoyed by hundreds of millions unconstitutional.

“President Trump and his administration have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to repeal the Affordable Care Act – even if it means ripping coverage away from millions of Americans and leading our country back to a time where we treated individuals with preexisting conditions like second class citizens. We will not stand for this. Together, we will fight back,” said Brown.

This is the latest act of health care sabotage from the Trump administration and could result in 133 million Americans losing protections for pre-existing conditions, millions more Americans without health insurance, soaring prescription drug spending for seniors, and much more. After Congressional Republicans zeroed out the health insurance coverage requirement in their partisan tax legislation, the State of Texas and a coalition of 19 other states legally challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the Texas vs. United States lawsuit.

Instead of defending the law and its vital health care protections, the Trump administration’s DOJ chose to side with the 20 states challenging our health care law last summer, arguing that pre-existing condition protections are unconstitutional. Late last year, U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor’s sided with Texas and ruled to strike down the entire current health care law. Now, the DOJ has expanded its position, arguing on the side of Judge O’Connor that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

The resolution was led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). The resolution introduced by all 47 Senate Democrats, including Senator Brown, today outlined the dire consequences for hardworking American families of this politically  motivated action and proclaims the DOJ’s decision must be reversed.

Yesterday, Ohio’s Attorney General David Yost said he opposed the federal Texas judge’s ruling that the entire ACA is unconstitutional, warning that the judge’s decision, if upheld, will have negative consequences for millions of Ohioans.

 

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