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Biden Slams Trump’s Efforts to Undo Obamacare Amid Pandemic

Biden implored Trump to drop a lawsuit to repeal Affordable Care Act he said was “unconscionable” during a public health crisis.

Biden Slams Trump’s Efforts to Undo Obamacare Amid Pandemic
Former Vice President Joe Biden, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, wears a protective mask during an address seen on a smartphone. (Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Joe Biden assailed Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, imploring the president on Thursday to drop a lawsuit he said was “unconscionable” during a public health crisis.

Biden, the Democratic nominee, said he was worried the Supreme Court would strike down the Obama administration’s signature health care law, but the former vice president vowed to pass a “beefed-up” version if he is elected president.

“I think it’s cruel, it’s heartless, it’s callous,” Biden said during a speech in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “It’s all because in my view he can’t abide to let stand one of President Obama’s great achievements.”

Biden Slams Trump’s Efforts to Undo Obamacare Amid Pandemic

Biden’s campaign has centered its messaging on health care this week, seeking to draw a contrast with the Trump’s administration efforts to roll back health protections. The Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in 2018 in part by focusing on protecting the Affordable Care Act, and they believe it continues to be a winning issue for them. On Thursday, the Trump administration is expected to submit briefs to the Supreme Court in a case that could invalidate the law.

Biden said the efforts to repeal the law are particularly troubling during a global health pandemic that has killed more than 124,000 Americans and is showing no signs of slowing. He criticized Trump’s handling of the virus, saying the president should not be prioritizing reopening the country before the virus is under control.

“To fix the economy, we have to get control over the virus,” Biden said. “He’s like a child who can’t believe this has happened to him, all his whining and self-pity.”

The Democratic nominee also warned that if Trump is successful in his lawsuit, complications from Covid-19 could become a new pre-existing condition, which the Affordable Care Act guarantees coverage for.

“Those survivors, having struggled and won the fight of their lives, would have their peace of mind stolen away at the moment they need it most,” Biden said. “They would live their lives caught in a vise between Donald Trump’s twin legacies: his failure to protect the American people from the coronavirus, and his heartless crusade to take health care protections away from American families.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.