Watch/Download Senator Rosen’s full remarks aquí.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) spoke on the Senate floor to honor the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her role in preserving the Affordable Care Act, and the need to prioritize access to healthcare for the American people.
“Justice Ginsburg was a lion on the bench,” dijo el Senador Rosen. “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’s hard, even when it’s inconvenient. I know I wouldn’t be here without Ruth Bader Ginsburg leading the way.”
“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,” Senator Rosen continued. “Using the courts to take away the American people’s health care, especially at this moment in our nation’s history, is not only cruel but dangerous. Amid a global pandemic and the worst economy in generations, our top priority right now should be the needs of the American people; relief and care that matches the urgency of this crisis. We cannot afford to play political games or threaten the American people’s health coverage when they need it most.”
“I had hoped that my Republican colleagues would honor their own precedent on this process – the McConnell Rule – and ensure that the American people have their say at the ballot box before filling this vacancy. Instead of political gamesmanship, I ask that my colleagues honor the dignity of our democratic institutions and the health of the American people,” Senator Rosen concluded. “In 2015, when asked how she would like to be remembered, Justice Ginsburg responded “…As someone who helped to repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has…” We too have the ability to repair tears in our democracy, and we too have the ability to make things better for Americans by ensuring that their health remains protected. I urge my colleagues to follow Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s example.”
Read the full text of the Senator’s speech as prepared below:
Mr. President, I stand here today 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 serving on the D.C. Court of Appeals, and ultimately, as a member of the United States 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’s hard, even when it’s inconvenient.
I know I wouldn’t be here without Ruth Bader Ginsburg leading the way.
We have a responsibility to honor the legacy, work, and 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 a Senator, I’ve met countless Nevadans and had the chance to speak with Americans from all over the country, and 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 health care coverage and critical protections away from millions of Americans.
They have failed time and time again to dismantle the ACA through legislation, but they have also attempted to destroy the ACA through the courts.
In one of my first actions as a Senator, I co-led and helped introduce a resolution to defend the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality against this Administration’s assault.
And in my first speech, on this 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 families are denied access to care.
Justice Ginsburg’s replacement will help to decide whether individuals with pre-existing conditions can be denied coverage, and thus, left behind.
And let me clear: what this potentially means is that any of us with pre-existing conditions 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 co-pays.
This next justice will decide if we see an end to the ability for young adults under the age of 26 to stay on their parent’s 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 will decide who has healthcare during an unprecedented and deadly pandemic that has already, tragically, taken the lives of over 200,000 Americans.
And this next justice will decide if the nearly 7 million Americans who have tested positive for COVID can be denied health care 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 health care because of this Supreme Court pick.
We could go back to a world where people with pre-existing conditions cannot afford to pay for lifesaving medicine and treatments.
Using the courts to take away the American people’s health care, especially at this moment in our nation’s history, is not only cruel but dangerous.
Amid a global pandemic and the worst economy in generations, our top priority right now should be the needs of the American people; relief and care that matches the urgency of this crisis.
We cannot afford to play political games or threaten the American people’s health coverage when they need it most.
The American people deserve better. They deserve the stability and security of health care coverage for themselves and their loved ones.
Today, 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 honor their own precedent on this process – the McConnell Rule – and ensure that the American people have their say at the ballot box before filling this 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 – and I quote – “…As someone who helped to repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has…” end quote.
We too have the ability to repair tears in our democracy, and we too have the ability to make things better for Americans by ensuring that their health remains protected.
I urge my colleagues to follow Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s example.
I yield back.
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