Fox News "Sunday with Chris Wallace" - Transcript Interview with Debbie Stabenow

Interview

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Senator Stabenow, very much -- very nice to see you, ma'am.

Is there any chance you might vote for --

SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): Good to be with you. Good to be with you, Brit.

HUME: Thank you. Any chance you might vote for this nominee?

STABENOW: Well, Brit, first, let me say, congratulations to Amy Coney Barrett. This is always in honor of course to be nominated to the highest court in the land. So I want to congratulate her for that.

For me, this is all about in the middle of a health pandemic, once-in-a- lifetime health pandemic, and it's very clear from her writings, multiple writings that she will be the vote that takes away health care for millions of Americans, including people -- 130 million people and counting with pre- existing conditions.

And, of course, those are going up every day because of the health pandemic.

HUME: Right, let me stop you if I can --

STABENOW: So I'm deeply, deeply concerned about that.

(CROSSTALK)

HUME: Let me ask you what specific writings you are citing that would mean she would definitely be a vote not to uphold the Affordable Care Act?

STABENOW: Well, I think your questioning of former guest, Secretary Scalia, makes it clear when she was laying out her criticisms of the court for not essentially repealing it sooner.

And, you know, Brit, what's most important here we know that President Trump and Senate -- and Republicans have been trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act since they took office. The Congress said no.

And so, this is the last chance, you put someone on the Supreme Court that will do it and that even though people in Michigan didn't want the law to be repealed, they want their health care, and I would say that the response has got to be to put a president in who's going to protect and strengthen their health care.

HUME: I hear you, Senator.

Let me just say -- let me just follow up on that a little bit further if I can. The remark that I mentioned to Secretary Scalia was one in which he had commented in passing, critically, of John Roberts' determination that the penalties afforded under the Affordable Care Act for not carrying insurance amounted to a tax and not -- not just a penalty. That viewpoint, by the way has been widely criticized.

And now that the tax penalty has been eliminated, there's no tax at all, what makes you think that that remark would lead to her naturally and automatically, inevitably voting not to uphold the Affordable Care Act?

STABENOW: Well, Brit, it's called common sense. The number one priority of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been to take away people's health care and they've been trying actually for ten years, even before President Trump -- by the way, with no replacement. They want to take it away.

And he certainly has given every indication that he wants the Supreme Court to act in the favor of the case that he has supported.

He has helped to bring this case to the United States Supreme Court.

Does anybody really think -- you know, common sense will tell you, he's going to put somebody on the court who has given all kinds of clues and writings about this issue. And I tell you, the people of Michigan are really worried.

CROSSTALK)

HUME: I can understand, but you say all kinds of clues. What other clues other than this remark that was cited in my interview with Secretary Scalia? What other clues, Senator?

STABENOW: She has -- well, we will lay all of this out in judicial -- judiciary hearings. And I don't want to get -- debate all the legalese back-and-forth with you today because I think there's a bigger picture here, which is people's healthcare.

And I do have to say from a Michigan perspective, we have people right now just holding on. You know, over 200,000 people have lost their lives.

They are holding on and they're saying, why aren't you focused on another COVID package that's going to help my family keep a roof over our head and food on the table and help our small businesses be able to open safely? And please help us with our schools. We -- we can't get the testing support, the other things we need to open the school safely, and my own family trying to juggle Zooming for a kindergartner and a third grader.

And so, instead of dealing with right -- what's right in front of people right now that is causing them real pressure, what we have is a rush to judgment to put somebody on the court that's going to take away people's health care. Brit, I just don't get it.

HUME: Well -- well, I understand your view. Let me just say if you wanted (ph) -- by virtue of the fact that you just congratulated Judge Barrett on her appointment, may I take it that you therefore believe it is legitimate for the president to have made the appointment?

STABENOW: Well, we know this, it certainly legitimate for him to make nomination. We also know it's clear in the record in the Senate that between July and November of a presidential election year, there has never been a confirmation of the United States Supreme Court justice. Never. Either party, never happened.

We are right now in the middle of voting in Michigan. We're already voting. We're being asked to vote four days before Election Day on whether or not a nominee will go on the court with a very high likelihood of overturning their health care, taking away their health care protections -- right when they're voting between a president who wants to do that and a nominee, Vice President Joe Biden, who said very clearly he's going to protect and strengthen their health care.

And, by the way, if we have a Democratic Senate, we're going to join him in making sure that happens.

HUME: Senator Stabenow, very nice of you to take the time with us today. Thank you very much.

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