U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has joined fellow Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to claim that President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, is a threat to the Affordable Care Act.
Blumenthal used his opening remarks at Barrett’s U.S. Senate confirmation hearing to share the story of Conner Curran, a 10-year-old boy from Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Blumenthal says Conner has muscular dystrophy, a fatal illness that requires tens of thousands of dollars of treatment each year. He told Barrett that Conner’s pre-existing condition would no longer be covered if she is confirmed to the high court and votes to uphold a Republican challenge to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
“Conner and millions of others like him are why I will oppose your nomination. Your nomination is about repealing the Affordable Care Act, the Obamacare they seem to detest so much," Blumenthal says that's why he opposes Barrett’s elevation to the high court.
“It's not just the Affordable Care Act that's at stake. It's a woman’s right to decide when and how to have a family. Control over her own body. An activist judge on the bench doing what Congress could not do would also strike down common sense gun safety laws.”
Senate Republicans have said they have enough votes to confirm Barrett.