Trump could quickly doom ACA cost-sharing subsidies for millions of Americans

[Igel]

5. It's like DOMA.

The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the law. But often it decides that it doesn't like the law and doesn't bother to enforce it, by hook or by crook.

The executive branch is also responsible for defending the law. But often it decides that it doesn't like the law and doesn't bother to enforce it, by hook or by crook.

In some cases, the executive branch not only doesn't defend the law, it files a brief to help overturn the act of Congress and of a prior administration.


In this case, if Trump just stops the appeal, it won't be Trump's act of commission that causes the problem but an act of omission. We've already decided that such acts are perfectly fine in principle. Now we have to say that we're upholding the same principle unchanged as we deftly change it and hope nobody notices.

Or we say, "The principle is that our guy should do what we want, ignore the Congress because we like a strong, powerful Executive. When it suits us." You despoil the commons, you spoil the commons, you lose the commons.