Washington DC — Ahead of Tuesday’s scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on William Barr’s nomination to become the next U.S. Attorney General under President Trump, Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, issued the following statement:
“The Sessions’ Justice Department refused to defend the Affordable Care Act and its protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions and even argued for them to be struck down. The result was the Texas Court’s decision to overturn the entire law. The American people need to know where Attorney General nominee William Barr stands. He should commit to reversing the Department’s previous inexplicable decision and commit to defending America’s health care. Now more than ever, the American people deserve answers and William Barr as well as the Justice Department he wants to lead have a lot to answer for. The American people deserve an Attorney General who is willing to fight for their health care.”
Six Questions for William Barr:
- Do you agree with the Administration’s decision for the Department of Justice to stop defending the Affordable Care Act in court?
- Who made the decision for the Department of Justice to stop defending the Affordable Care Act?
- What communication did the President, or White House senior staff, have with Department of Justice officials when DOJ decided to stop defending the Affordable Care Act?
- Do you agree with Judge Reed O’Connor’s December 2018 decision to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act?
- Even conservative legal analysts have said Judge O’Connor’s decision is wholly without merit. Are they wrong?
- Will you review and reverse the Department’s decision to refuse to defend protections for pre-existing conditions and the Affordable Care Act?