WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement on President Trump’s intention to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. No Supreme Court Justice has ever been confirmed this close to a presidential election in history. In early November, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a Republican-led lawsuit to subvert the Affordable Care Act, including critical protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
“Defying the will of the American people, historical precedent, and their own word, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans want to force through a lifetime justice to the Supreme Court on the eve of a presidential election and just in time to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. They're pulling out all the stops to rip away health care from millions in the middle of a pandemic. And the president and Republican senators are even threatening to use this nominee to put their thumb on the scale of the upcoming election to stop counting votes.
"Make no mistake: Senate Republicans are trying to rush a justice onto the court in time to decide on Donald Trump and the Republicans' suit to destroy the Affordable Care Act -- as the nation battles a pandemic that’s killed over 200,000 Americans. Senate Republicans say they can fill this Supreme Court seat in weeks, after telling struggling New Mexicans and Americans for months that there was 'no urgency' to pass COVID-19 relief. Their refusal to honor their own precedent and the will of the American people is unconscionable and a stain on the Senate.
"With so much on the line, the American people deserve to have a say in who replaces Justice Ginsburg. This Republican assault on precedent and principle -- all in the name of destroying the ACA and advancing an extreme right wing agenda they cannot pass in Congress -- is indefensible. I will do everything in my power to ensure the will of the people is honored -- and I encourage all Americans who are angry, saddened and appalled at this display to make their voices heard over the coming weeks."
