Trump seems to have no problem doing it. He campaigned on promises to “bring our jobs back” and support the parts of the country where the economy is weak. Many of these struggling areas are the elusive counties that voted for Obama in 2012 and then unexpectedly supported Trump in 2016. One central economic problem in these counties is the high cost and low supply of child care. These voters who supported Trump likely did so assuming he would follow through on his promise to provide “access to quality child care.”
Surprise! We can add affordable child care to the long list of Trump’s empty promises. Trump’s child care plan, which was championed by Ivanka, will provide only $5.55 for average Trump voters with a family of four, according to new CAP analysis. Who does benefit from the plan? People like the Trumps. While people in the areas that swung the election for Trump will get less than $6 from the plan, Trump’s former neighbors on the Upper East Side would get a net benefit of $7,329 from the plan. The plan relies on a tax deduction, which is an innately regressive system that also means that the wealthier the family, the greater the benefit. Get all the details here.
ACTION OF THE DAY
“Premiums will start tumbling down.” This is what Trump promised in a tweet yesterday if Trumpcare is approved. For millions of Americans, this could hardly be less true. By stripping protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Trumpcare will cause premiums to skyrocket. Have arthritis, for example? Your premiums will increase by more than $26,000. Trumpcare already stripped coverage from millions of people and now it is getting even worse. We need your help to defeat it! Send a #MessageInAPillBottle to your member of Congress TODAY, demanding they resist Trumpcare. Then follow along @CAPAction when we are deliver the messages to your member’s office this Thursday.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Mar-a-Lago. Trump isn’t the only one propping up Mar-a-Lago. The State Department is facing outrage at another blatant example of the administration profiting off the presidency after it published promotional material for Mar-a-Lago on official U.S. government websites. The website has since been taken down and replaced with a message saying, “We regret any misperception and have removed the post.” Trump has spent seven of his 14 weekends as president at Mar-a-Lago, costing taxpayers more than $25 million.
100 days, 100 Ways. Nearly 100 days into the Trump administration, the President’s action have made it clear that he and his team are completely out of touch with the needs of today’s working family. In fact, from eroding family economic security, to undermining women’s legal rights, to tearing families apart, CAP already tallied 100 ways that Trump’s policies are harming women and families. Learn more here.
Making Things Right. Last night, Crescent City Mayor Mitch Landrieu directed the removal of at least four monuments honoring Confederate icons and white supremacists including General Robert E. Lee. The City of New Orleans voted to remove the Confederate memorials after the Charleston shooting at an African American church sparked nationwide debate about Confederate symbols. Because of security concerns, masked city officials are removing the monuments in the middle of the night.
Speaking of monuments… The Trump Administration has a series of Executive Orders affecting energy and the environment scheduled for this week. First up? A monuments executive order, which will put historic sites like Stonewall in New York, Birmingham Civil Rights and Freedom Riders monuments in Alabama and many more at risk. More on that tomorrow.
Hackers. They’ve been busy lately. The same hackers who got into the DNC servers during the 2016 election are now focusing their attention on European elections—including the pro-EU French Presidential Candidate Emmanuel Macron.
5th Birthday. Today marks five years since the student debt total hit $1 trillion, otherwise known as $1T Day. Things aren’t looking much better five years later. In fact, many indicators suggest we are backsliding on helping and protecting students and borrowers afford and pay for higher education. And the Trump administration is only making it worse. Watch this video on the anniversary of $1T Day and read more here.
UNDER THE RADAR
#CutMethane. Congress is looking to overturn a rule that prevents oil and gas companies from releasing unlimited amounts of methane pollution when drilling on public lands. In addition to being environmentally reckless, wiping out these standards at the behest of the oil and gas industry would cost taxpayers $330 million a year. Tell your senators not to sell out to the oil and gas industry and to oppose attempts to roll back the Bureau of Land Management natural gas waste rule.
GOOD NEWS
Comebacks. President Obama gave his first public speech since leaving office yesterday and proved that at least one person in the country can still manage to have a conversation without saying the words Donald Trump. Watch it if you want to feel a little more hopeful about our current politics.