U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today in leading 44 other Democratic Senators in a letter to the Administration urging President Trump to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is the law of the land and provides health care coverage protections for people with pre-existing conditions including more than five million Illinoisans. Despite Trump’s misleading statements about protecting patients with pre-existing conditions, the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2021 proposed budget continues to fund DOJ’s efforts to repeal the ACA—while providing no mention of a replacement plan should the DOJ prevail in court and eliminate our health law.
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The Senators wrote, “We noted your announcement in the 2020 State of the Union that you would protect patients with pre-existing conditions, and we hoped that priority would be reflected in your Fiscal Year 2021 budget request.Unfortunately, your “Budget for America’s Future” does exactly the opposite… We are disappointed that the “Budget for America’s Future” continues to fund the DOJ’s legally unsound position in Texas v. United States. You could bring peace of mind to millions of Americans tomorrow by simply directing the DOJ to do its job and defend the law of the land instead of arguing against protections for people with pre-existing conditions and against access to affordable health care coverage.”
Joining Durbin, Duckworth, and Manchin on the letter were Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Angus King (I-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Martin Heinrich (D-NV), Robert Casey (D-PA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-CT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Gary Peters (D-MI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
A copy of the letter can be found here
