The Trump regime recently shifted their support toward a legal effort to have the entire Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) thrown out in court and, if they're successful, it will be a human and economic catastrophe that could see tens of millions of people lose their coverage while tens of billions of dollars in economic activity disappears overnight.
But don't worry -- the fact that such an outcome is almost too crazy to consider means there's nothing to worry about according to Attorney General William Barr.
Barr appeared in front of the House Appropriations Committee this morning where he more or less shrugged at Democratic concerns.
From Bloomberg:
“If you think it’s such an outrageous position, you have nothing to worry about,” Barr told Representative Matt Cartwright during testimony Tuesday before a House Appropriations panel. “Let the courts do their job.” [...]
Barr said he believes the Trump administration has “a legally defensible” position, adding at one point that “I’m a lawyer. I’m not in charge of health care.”
“Once you do away with the mandate, the rest of the statute cannot stand,” Barr said.
The idea that the attorney general is merely a lawyer and not responsible for the policies they support or oppose is disingenuous at best. The Justice Department routinely makes judgement calls that either hold up in court or get struck down and this is the ultimate judgement call.
Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA) asked Barr if he would ask the Supreme Court to issue a stay of their ruling if they strike down Affordable Care Act so Congress would have time to replace it, but Barr would not commit to that.
The only hope I have that the Supreme Court won't strike down the entire law is Chief Justice John Roberts' wish to not be remembered as the chief who killed thousands of people and the economy with one ruling.