01.28.2020 / Press Release

Statement: Families USA Issued the Following Comment Regarding the SCOTUS Decision to Lift the Preliminary Injunction That Had Stopped the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Public Charge Rule from Taking Effect

Families USA Issued the Following Comment Regarding the SCOTUS Decision to Lift the Preliminary Injunction That Had Stopped the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Public Charge Rule from Taking Effect.

Washington, D.C., January 27, 2020 – Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to set aside the stay on the DHS public charge rule marks a fraying of the fabric of our nation and eschews a founding principle that says all are welcome and worthy here. Through this rule, the Trump administration engineered yet another way to make it harder for families to access high-quality, affordable health care, this time for immigrants following the process and working through the immigration system. We are deeply disappointed that the nation’s highest court would uphold such a partisan maneuver that is anathema to the values of our nation.

The court’s opinion is in direct opposition to Families USA’s goal of ensuring the best health and healthcare are equally accessible and affordable to all in our nation. And the decision moves the nation backward several steps from racial justice and health care equity. Essentially, this ruling further buttresses the administration’s campaign to sow division in the nation — a campaign driven by fearmongering and discriminatory stances based on race, economic status, and geography.

WATCH: ELIOT FISHMAN, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF HEALTH CARE POLICY REACTS IN THIS VIDEO MESSAGE

Health care is foundational to the ability of our families to self-actualize, including the ability of our nation’s immigrant families to raise healthy, vibrant children and for parents to work and care for these children. Now, millions of children, parents, people with disabilities, and others will lose access to Medicaid and health care or be afraid to seek it altogether. In fact, evidence suggests that the specter of this public charge rule has, in part, caused the number of children with health insurance to decline by hundreds of thousands, for the first time in years. Given the Supreme Court’s decision, these numbers are now likely to increase quickly and significantly.

The fight to protect all America’s families to thrive is not over. While the Supreme Court ruling clears the way for the public charge regulation to take effect, we do not yet know when it will take effect, and legal challenges are still underway. In the meantime, and even after the ruling does take effect, we must hold the administration accountable for its deplorable actions, and take this fight to the halls of Congress, to statehouses, city halls, and to the ballot box.