Democrats from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to former President Barack Obama announced this weekend that their first priority after the holidays will be to preserve the Affordable Care Act, which was declared unconstitutional (again) Friday by a federal district court judge.
Judge Reed O’Connor again struck down the ACA (better known as Obamacare) individual mandate on Friday evening, but unlike in other earlier rulings finding the same conclusion, O’Connor noted that he felt the individual mandate could not be severed from the rest of the law, Roll Call reports. That means the full Affordable Care Act is now unconstitutional (though the act will remain in place pending appeal, likely all the way to the Supreme Court).
O’Connor also noted that Chief Justice John Roberts’ contention that Obamacare’s individual mandate amounted to a “tax” on Americans did not save the law.
Schumer spoke out on Meet the Press Sunday morning, pledging that his top priority when congress returns from its holiday recess will be to pass a law preserving the Affordable Care Act, even though Schumer remains in the minority in the Senate. The Democrats only picked up the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections.- READ MORE