Report: Cabinet members, including William Barr, objected to move to overturn ObamaCare


Two Cabinet secretaries — Attorney General William Barr and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar — pushed back on the Trump administration's recent decision to reverse course and try to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, three people with knowledge of the matter told Politico.
In a letter sent to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, the Justice Department said federal lawyers will file a brief in support of a December district court ruling that the ACA's individual mandate is unconstitutional, and this renders the entire law invalid. Talks have been underway since late last year, with Azar arguing in December that there was no reason to fully repeal ObamaCare because Republicans don't have an alternative plan.
Barr was confirmed earlier this year, and "his opposition was based in part on skepticism among conservative lawyers about the wisdom of seeking to overturn the law," Politico reports. He was overruled by the White House on this ACA reversal plan, and he must now lead the Justice Department as it works to topple the health-care law.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was once a congressman from South Carolina, a Tea Party ultra-conservative and one of the loudest critics of the ACA. Two of his close allies — acting director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought and domestic policy chief Joe Grogan — pushed for the DOJ to back the December ruling, people with knowledge of the matter told Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths