Sanders declines to walk back past Amy Coney Barrett criticism after ObamaCare decision

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Supreme Court rules on two hot-button issues

Fox News chief legal correspondent Shannon Bream breaks down the decisions on 'Special Report'

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Sunday declined to walk back his past comments that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett would vote to end the Affordable Care Act after the newest justice in the country’s highest court voted in the majority to uphold the law.

Sanders, head of the Senate Budget Committee, appeared on CNN's "State of the Union," where anchor Dana Bash asked the longtime senator if he was wrong when he warned that Barrett would "vote to destroy the Affordable Care Act and kick millions of Americans off their health care."

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Barrett was among the majority who kept the law, commonly known as ObamaCare, alive in a 7-2 decision last week, ruling that a coalition of 18 states and two individuals lacked standing to challenge its constitutionality.

"She has a long career in front of us," Sanders said. "I think that the Supreme Court today is loaded with very conservative people who in general will be voting for the wealthy and the powerful against the needs of working families."

With the Supreme Court's ruling last week, the entirety of ObamaCare was kept intact. Democrats had claimed that the court was sure to scrap the Affordable Care Act if Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court. 

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Barrett, the third justice appointed by former President Donald Trump, was joined in the majority by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the second Trump-appointed justice. Justice Neil Gorsuch, the first justice Trump appointed, dissented along with Justice Samuel Alito.

Republicans argued that ObamaCare's individual mandate became unconstitutional when Congress eliminated the penalty in 2017, asserting the rest of the law should be struck down as a result.

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Some GOP-led states railed against the court’s decision after the ruling.

During his appearance, Sanders was also asked whether he agreed with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s opinion that Justice Stephen Breyer should step down so President Biden could appoint a replacement.

The Vermont senator said that he’ll let Breyer "make that decision all by himself."

Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer and Thomas Barrabi contributed to this report.