John,

In record time the U.S. Senate has finished confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And while Judge Amy Coney Barrett avoided answering questions ranging from whether climate change is real to whether Medicare is constitutional, there should be plenty of concern from the American people on what her confirmation and a 6-3 conservative majority could mean to the future of our country.

First, a 6-3 conservative majority is likely to strike down the Affordable Care Act, which the court is set to hear oral arguments on just one week after Election Day.

If the ACA is struck down, 23 million people will lose their healthcare coverage while protections for 54 million Americans with pre-existing conditions could disappear.[1][2]

Millions of seniors will have to pay more out-of-pocket for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole will be reopened, while drug corporations will get a $2.8 billion tax cut every year—money currently used to fund healthcare for working families.[3] And, the nation’s richest households making at least $3 million will receive an annual tax break of $198,000.

In sum: striking down the ACA will transfer billions of dollars each year from low- and moderate-income people (who will lose subsidized health coverage) to the wealthy and drug corporations (which will receive large tax cuts).  

Write to your U.S. Senators right now and demand they reject Amy Coney Barrett’s lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sadly, a 6-3 conservative majority threatens way more than just our access to quality, affordable healthcare.

A priority of Americans for Tax Fairness and our allies is for Congress to enact some form of a wealth tax, which would tax the fortunes of the country’s very richest families to pay for investments in our future—from healthcare to schools to infrastructure and more.

Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have both put forward wealth tax proposals. One version would assess a 3% tax on wealth between $50 million and $1 billion, and a 6% tax on wealth above $1 billion. It would raise more than $2 trillion, and only the wealthiest 0.1%—or 75,000 households—will be subject to the tax.[4]

But, the rich and powerful have already signaled that they will fight a wealth tax in court, on constitutional grounds. They claim it violates a provision in the U.S. Constitution that prohibits “direct taxes,” even as many constitutional scholars argue that a wealth tax is permissible.

A 6-3 majority on the court will threaten our ability to address income and wealth inequality and invest in working families, seniors and communities most in need.

Join Americans for Tax Fairness and write to your U.S. Senators now and demand they reject Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the implications of a conservative super-majority on the court don’t stop there!

Consider for a moment that Donald Trump has never stopped appealing decisions in cases that require him to release his tax returns to prosecutors or to Congress. With another Trump-appointed justice on the Supreme Court, the odds increase that the court will side with him in his continued attempts to hide his tax returns from the American people.

Thank you for taking action today and writing to your U.S. Senators demanding they reject Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

Frank Clemente
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness

[1] “The Health Care Repeal Lawsuit Could Strip Coverage from 23 Million Americans,” Center for American Progress, June 24, 2020

[2] “Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families,” Kaiser Family Foundation, Oct. 4, 2019

[3] “ACA Repeal Lawsuit Would Cut Taxes for Top 0.1 Percent by an Average of $198,000,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 24, 2020

[4] “Senator Warren Unveils Proposal to Tax Wealth of Ultra-Rich Americans,” Press Release, Jan. 24, 2019