[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 6, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Chad A. Readler

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the nomination of 
Mr. Chad Readler to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court.
  There are certainly many reasons to oppose Mr. Readler's nomination. 
His track record paints a very clear picture of what he values and what 
he does not. Mr. Readler fought to uphold President Trump's travel ban 
that targets people because of their religion. He has argued in favor 
of a business turning away customers simply because they are LGBT. He 
worked to unravel programs made during the past administration that 
would ensure low-income workers would actually receive their hard-
earned benefits. Of the things that Mr. Readler values, protecting 
Americans from wrongful acts of discrimination is clearly not among 
them.
  Yet it still remains difficult for me to understand why Mr. Readler--
and any of my colleagues who choose to advance his nomination today--
would support going back to an era when health insurance companies are 
allowed to discriminate against people with preexisting health 
conditions. I have heard plenty of my colleagues from across the aisle 
make public statements in favor of preexisting coverage protections. 
That is probably because they hear, like I do, from people all across 
my State who fear losing coverage as a result of having that 
preexisting condition.
  What are preexisting conditions? Well, it is things like diabetes, 
asthma, or even high blood pressure, and they are a reality for over 4 
million Michiganders. This range of fairly common to fairly complex 
conditions is experienced by one in every four children, over half of 
the female population, and 84 percent of adults in their late fifties 
and in their sixties.
  Today, there is a broad consensus that we need a Federal law in place 
that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage or jacking up 
prices based on someone's health status, their age, or their gender. We 
have a law on the books right now that protects people with preexisting 
conditions, but this law must be defended, not undermined.
  I worked hard to pass this important coverage during my first term in 
the Congress, and I have fought to preserve it every day since then. 
Although this fight has been successful so far, it is based on the 
premise that the laws passed and upheld by Congress will be defended in 
court. Yet the Department of Justice Civil Division, under Mr. 
Readler's leadership, decided not to do so. His actions fit into the 
story of the Trump administration's ongoing partisan efforts to 
sabotage our healthcare system and dismantle strategies that would 
lower premiums and expand quality, affordability, and coverage, 
generally. The President is constantly looking for ways that he can 
sidestep Congress and attack legislation that has brought health 
insurance to over 20 million Americans and cut Michigan's uninsured 
rate in half.
  We should not be advancing a Federal court nominee whose disregard 
for the rule of law comes at the expense of the health and the 
financial stability of millions of Americans. I urge my colleagues to 
vote no on Mr. Readler's nomination and his track record of promoting 
discrimination.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Boozman). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.