Maine’s Senior Senator, Republican Susan Collins is responsible for this.
A Federal Court in Texas has now ruled the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional since a central pillar is the Individual Mandate which was enforced by a tax penalty. The tax bill passed in November, 2017 did away with that tax penalty. So why is this Susan Collins’ fault?
Because she was the deciding vote cast in that tax bill.
Prior to the passage, she claimed that she would not vote for it if it dismantled the ACA. She stated that she would not vote for it unless various things were done first, which were never done. She kept moving the goal post on her “won’t vote for it unless” statements until they became meaningless, and she ultimately voted for it. Despite the largest to-then-date outpouring of constituent contacts to her offices asking, pleading, begging, demanding a vote of no.
So now we’re left with a Federal judge declaring the ACA as unconstitutional because of Susan Collins.
This was a case brought to the courts by a coalition of Republican Governors and Attorneys General. Maine’s Governor LePage tried to join in, but was stopped by then-Attorney General Mills, who stated that LePage did not have the authority. The decision will be appealed by the coalition of Democratic Governors who are acting as the defendants. The Trump administration has abdicated its responsibility to defend the standing laws.