In a filing with a federal appeals court, the Justice Department said it agreed with a Texas federal judge’s ruling that invalidated the Obama-era health care law.
Today the Trump administration said the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down.
The filing represents a major shift for the Justice Department.
Initially the administration argued that certain protections for people with pre-existing conditions could not be defended but the rest of the law could stand.
Trump and the administration have repeatedly promised, particularly leading up to the midterm elections, to protect people with less-than-perfect medical histories.
But now the shift represents a commitment to stripping away all the protections that were a hallmark of the landmark health law.
Democrats found the timing of Trump’s announcement interesting, especially since it came on the same day Democrats unveiled legislation aimed at protecting people with pre-existing conditions.