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S.Res. 638: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Justice should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148 Stat. 119) and halt its efforts to repeal, sabotage, or undermine health care protections for millions of people in the United States in the midst of the public health emergency relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

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S.Res. 638: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Justice should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148 Stat. 119) and halt its efforts to repeal, sabotage, or undermine health care protections for millions of people in the United States in the midst of the public health emergency relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

116th Congress · introduced 2020-06-30 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S4040-4041)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2020-06-30 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S4040-4041) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Justice should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148 Stat. 119) and halt its efforts to repeal, sabotage, or undermine health care protections for millions of people in the United States in the midst of the public health emergency relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Plain summary

This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the Department of Justice (DOJ) should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in ongoing litigation. Currently, DOJ supports the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld a district court ruling that certain provisions of the PPACA are not severable from the remainder of the Act and therefore that the entire law is invalid. The Fifth Circuit's ruling is currently pending appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

A Yea supports adopting this resolution.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Justice should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148 Stat. 119) and halt its efforts to repeal, sabotage, or undermine health care protections for millions of people in the United States in the midst of the public health emergency relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · 46 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)

Agencies named in this bill

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Resolution
A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.
Roll-call vote
A vote where each member's position is recorded by name, so the public can see how every member voted. "Yea" means yes, "Nay" means no, "Present" means the member was there but did not take a side.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-sres638 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116