After a long history of trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act—a.k.a. Obamacare, Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn is singing a different tune.
During an interview with PBS Austin's Judy Maggio on the program Decibel, Cornyn touted Obamacare as the answer for those who lose their jobs.
The Texas Republican's comments came are voting over a dozen times to repeal the ACA. As Majority Whip, Cornyn lead efforts in 2017 to eliminate the safety net he now calls salvation for Texans.
In the Monday interview, Cornyn stated:
"The good news is that if you lose your employer-provided coverage, which covers about a 180 million Americans, that is a significant life event, which makes you then eligible to sign up for the Affordable Care Act."
"As you know, it has a sliding scale of subsidies up to 400% of poverty. So that's an option for people."
Watch his remarks here after PBS Austin's Maggio asks the Senator about Texans who lose their medical coverage during the pandemic:
Moving The Nation Forward: A Conversation With U.S. Senator John Cornynyoutu.be
Cornyn is up for reelection in November.
He faces a number of challengers, with combat veteran MJ Hegar as the Democratic frontrunner.
(Re)Introduction | MJ For Texasyoutu.be
Texas Democratic Party spokesman Abhi Rahman commented on Cornyn's about face:
"Cornyn can't have it both ways. The question now becomes, where does Cornyn stand on the Paxton lawsuit to repeal Affordable Care for Texans who have recently lost their job?"
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leads a coalition of 20 Republican states challenging the ACA before the Supreme Court.
A total of 35 Senate seats are being decided on November 3, 2020. 23 of those seats are currently held by the GOP.
Democrats need only flip 3-4 seats to gain control of the Senate.
In addition to Cornyn, the following GOP Senators are up for reelection in 2020:
Dan Sullivan (AK), Tom Cotton (AR), Martha McSally (AZ), Cory Gardner (CO), Kelly Loeffler (GA), David Perdue (GA), Joni Ernst (IA), James Risch (ID), Mitch McConnell (KY), Bill Cassidy (LA), Susan Collins (ME), Cindy Hyde-Smith (MI), Steve Daines (MT), Thom Tillis (NC), Ben Sasse (NE), Jim Inhofe (OK), Lindsey Graham (SC), Mike Rounds (SD) and Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
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