In response to Donald Trump’s calls to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“After years of trying — and failing — to repeal the Affordable Care Act as president, Donald Trump is running on a dangerous plan to ‘terminate’ health care for millions of Americans. If Trump gets his way, he’d kick millions of people who rely on the ACA off their health care coverage and rip away protections for as many as 135 million Americans with preexisting conditions — all while lining the pockets of Big Pharma. Here’s a reality check for Trump: The American people want access to affordable health care, and they’ll reject his extreme agenda come November.”

Trump is running on an agenda to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act. But don’t just take it from us — he’s told the 40 million hardworking Americans who rely on the ACA exactly what he plans to do.

Daily Beast: “Trump Revives Plan to Dismantle Obamacare if Elected in 2024”

NBC: “Trump, by contrast, stood by his support for a lawsuit headed to the Supreme Court that seeks to invalidate Obamacare. The justices will hear the case one week after Election Day.

‘I would like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand new, beautiful health care,’ Trump said at the debate, which was moderated by NBC News’ Kristen Welker.”

The Hill: “In a Truth Social post, the leading GOP presidential candidate claimed he’s ‘seriously looking at alternatives’ to replace ObamaCare, and that the failure to repeal the health law in 2017 while he was in office was ‘a low point for the Republican Party.’” 

Reality check: Repealing the ACA is deeply unpopular. If Trump wins, millions of Americans who rely on the ACA to get the health care they need could be at risk of losing coverage.

Washington Post: “But what’s clear is that an effort to ‘terminate’ Obamacare is not something Americans are pining for. Not only were the GOP’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare during Trump’s term historically unpopular, but the law also appears to have gotten more popular since then. … And when politicians talk of ending health insurance for tens of millions of Americans, dropping coverage of preexisting conditions and cutting Obamacare’s Medicaid funding, things get even dicier.”

KFF Poll: 64% believe it is “very important” insurance companies continue to be prohibited from charging sick people more – including 55% of Republicans. 

NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll: Eight out of 10 U.S. adults say all Americans have a basic right to health care coverage.

Bryan Bennett: “Per our October @NavigatorSurvey research, repealing the ACA (and January 6) remain the top concerns about Trump’s first term as president” 

Repealing the ACA would strip away protections for as many as 135 MILLION people with preexisting conditions — and empower insurance companies to deny coverage to people who need it most.

Center for American Progress: “According to new estimates from the Center for American Progress, 135 million people under age 65, or about half of nonelderly people, have a preexisting condition that an insurer could use to discriminate against them if they ever sought coverage through the individual market in the absence of ACA protections.”

KFF Poll: 72% believe it is “very important” the ACA provision protecting those with preexisting conditions stay in place – including 62% of Republicans.

As a reminder, Trump spearheaded efforts to repeal the ACA as president. 

NBC News: “Trump approved a surprise decision to push for the complete elimination of the Affordable Care Act in the courts. If it succeeds, millions of Americans will lose their private insurance or Medicaid coverage and the health care system would be thrown into chaos.”

NPR: “The very day President Trump was sworn in — Jan. 20, 2017 — he signed an executive order instructing administration officials ‘to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay’ implementing parts of the Affordable Care Act, while Congress got ready to repeal and replace President Obama’s signature health law.”

Trump’s MAGA minion Mike Johnson is railing against providing affordable health care for hardworking Americans, including voting against the Inflation Reduction Act, which is lowering the cost of prescription drugs and capping the cost of insulin for seniors on Medicare at $35 a month. 

Press Release, Office of Congressman Mike Johnson: “U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson joined 11 other freshman members of Congress in a letter published Tuesday by Fox News urging the U.S. Senate to act on repealing the Affordable Care Act.”

The Hill: “As chair of the conservative Republican Study Commission, he has backed health care proposals that the GOP has espoused for years, including a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.”

Daily Beast: “Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), a member of House GOP leadership, said ‘I assume’ Republicans would move to repeal [the Inflation Reduction Act], but indicated it was still early.”