Congressman García's Statement on Amy Coney Barrett's Confirmation to the Supreme Court

Statement

Today, just eight days before the presidential election, Senate Republicans have confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States. Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04) issued the following statement:

"President Trump and Congressional Republicans have been trying to take health insurance away from millions of people for years. They have voted at least 70 times to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the House and never presented a plan to replace it. If the ACA is overturned, thousands in my district could lose access to health care when they need it the most. Now, Republicans have raced to confirm Amy Coney Barrett hoping she will cast the deciding vote to repeal the ACA when the case goes to the Supreme Court in November.

"Republicans have failed to enact their agenda legislatively. They are now trying to pack the Supreme Court with conservative justices who will decide cases in their favor, particularly those regarding the rights of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community.

"At a time when Trump's party has relentlessly attacked voting rights, Barrett's record on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals indicates that she considers the right to own a weapon more important than the right to vote. In her three years as an Appeals judge, she has ruled against abortion rights both times the issue came before her. She has also spoken publicly about her opposition to same-sex marriage and has threatened to rollback protections for transgender people.

"Additionally, Barrett's decisions on immigration and asylum cases align with the Trump administration's anti-immigrant record. In all but one of the 25 immigration cases she heard as a judge, Barrett affirmed or declined to review decisions that went against asylum seekers. During her confirmation hearings, when asked whether, as a human being, she thought separating migrant children from their parents was wrong, she refused to provide an answer.

"We are in the middle of a pandemic and COVID-19 cases are surging again in Chicago and across the country. The Senate's priority should be to pass additional emergency relief for working Americans. Instead, Mitch McConnell chose to follow President Trump's lead and confirm Amy Coney Barrett for a lifetime position which will have effects for decades to come.

"It's a sad day for our democracy and for the legitimacy of the Supreme Court."

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