Climate Change

Floor Speech

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Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I stand here to honor the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In everything Justice Ginsburg did--from her pivotal role in the fight for gender equality, to her storied legal career, to her serving on the DC Court of Appeals and, ultimately, as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court--throughout her life's journey, she used every ounce of her ability to give voice to the voiceless and build a more just and equitable world.

Justice Ginsburg was a lion on the bench. She ruled on monumental and historic cases, and the decisions she made--and even the dissents she wrote--have shaped this country and set us on a better path.

This remarkable woman inspired countless Americans to fight for the best of us even when it was hard, even when it was inconvenient. I know I wouldn't be here without Ruth Bader Ginsburg's leading the way. We have a responsibility to honor her legacy, her work, and the ethos of Justice Ginsburg. Part of her legacy was her decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and we have seen too many attempts to dismantle this key cornerstone of her legacy.

In my time as Senator, I have met countless Nevadans, and I have had the chance to speak with Americans from all across the country. I can say with certainty that there is no issue that matters more to the American people than their health, especially now.

This administration has worked since day one to take healthcare coverage and critical protections away from millions of Americans. It has failed time and again to dismantle the ACA through legislation, and it has also attempted to destroy and dismantle the ACA through the courts.

In one of my first actions as a Senator, I co-led and helped to introduce a resolution to defend the Affordable Care Act's constitutionality against this administration's assault. In my first speech on the Senate floor, I called on the Senate to take it up and pass it. I cannot even begin to count the number of Nevadans who have shared how they would be affected by the ACA's demise. Everything is at stake if these individuals and these families are denied access to care.

Justice Ginsburg's replacement will help to decide whether individuals with preexisting conditions can be denied coverage and, thus, be left behind. Let me be clear: What this potentially means is that any of us with a preexisting condition could no longer obtain health insurance.

This next Justice will decide if we see an end to the tax credits that make healthcare coverage affordable for middle-income families.

This next Justice will decide if we see an end to preventive care without copays.

This next Justice will decide if we see an end to the ability of young adults, until the age of 26, to stay on their parents' insurance.

This next Justice will decide if we see an end to expanded Medicaid benefits, which have helped over 200,000 Nevadans get coverage.

This next Justice is going to decide who has healthcare during an unprecedented and deadly pandemic that has already, tragically, taken the lives of over 200,000 Americans.

This next Justice will also decide if the nearly 7 million Americans who have already tested positive for COVID can be denied healthcare coverage because they contracted a disease that this administration initially ignored and has been unable or unwilling to combat with a national plan.

So much hangs in the balance for the American people. Millions could lose healthcare because of this Supreme Court pick. We could go back to a world in which people with preexisting conditions could not afford to pay for lifesaving medicine or treatment. Using the courts to take away the American people's healthcare, especially at this moment in our Nation's history, is not only cruel--it is dangerous.

Amid a global pandemic and the worst economy in generations, our top priority right now should be the needs of the American people--the relief and care that matches the urgency of this crisis. We cannot afford to play political games or to threaten the American people's health coverage when they need it the most. The American people deserve better. They deserve the stability and security of healthcare coverage for themselves and their loved ones.

I ask that my colleagues truly listen to the American people, who need us now more than ever.

I had hoped that my Republican colleagues would have honored their own precedent in this process--the McConnell rule--and ensured that the American people would have their say at the ballot box before filling any vacancy. Instead of political gamesmanship, I ask that my colleagues honor the dignity of our democratic institutions and the health of the American people.

In 2015, when asked how she would like to be remembered, Justice Ginsburg responded: ``As someone who . . . [helped] repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has.''

That is how she wanted to be remembered.

We, too, have the ability to repair tears in our democracy, and we, too, have the ability to make sure things are better for all Americans by ensuring that their health remains protected.

I urge my colleagues to follow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's example and honor her life and her life's work.

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