Senator Susan Collins is continuing her attempt to distance herself from the Republican lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act, telling Newsweek this week that she doesn’t “know of anyone who thinks that the repeal of the individual mandate meant that the whole law would fall.” But an examination of her record shows that Senator Collins knew full well that by voting to eliminate the individual mandate through the 2017 GOP tax bill, she would be putting the entire ACA at risk, and she did it anyway.
In 2012, Collins signed an amicus brief that argued that the ACA could not stand without the individual mandate. The brief she signed asserted that the Supreme Court “must respect Congress’ policy determination regarding the critical role of the individual mandate. The [law] cannot stand without it.”
Senator Collins also told Newsweek “if Congress wanted to repeal the whole lot, that’s what Congress would have done.” Collins in fact has voted at least a dozen times to repeal or undermine the ACA, and has even bragged about her votes to completely repeal the health care law. While she may try to fool Mainers with revisionist history, it’s clear that Senator Collins has been against the ACA from the start.
“When Senator Collins voted for the GOP tax bill in 2017, she did so with the full knowledge that she would be putting our health care in jeopardy,” said Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Lisa Roberts. “Collins has voted more than a dozen times to repeal or undermine the ACA, and her paltry attempt to feign ignorance about her culpability in this lawsuit isn’t fooling anyone.”
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