Around the country, the coronavirus pandemic is once again surging. The uptick in cases has been enabled and exacerbated by the Trump administration, which has failed to implement a contact tracing strategy or ensure adequate levels of testing nationwide. The result has been catastrophic, with 36 states reporting a case increase in recent weeks.
Despite this disastrous surge in cases, Trump has forged ahead on a different priority--taking away Americans’ healthcare. Last week, his administration filed briefs in their Supreme Court case to strike down the Affordable Care Act, which was made possible by Senator Susan Collins. If successful, the lawsuit would strip health insurance away from 20 million Americans, including nearly 100,000 Mainers. It would also threaten protections for the millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions, and despite Trump’s claims to the contrary, he has no plan to replace those protections if the ACA is repealed.
“Donald Trump has abandoned all attempts to stop the virus and save American lives,” said Kathleen Marra, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party. “Instead, he is focusing on eliminating healthcare coverage for millions of Americans and thousands of Mainers, which will exacerbate the effects of this pandemic and prolong suffering around the country. Our state and our nation deserve better.”
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