Roses are red, violets are blue, Trump wants to cut programs, that help me and you!
It’s Valentine’s Day, but many Americans are less than joyful at the “gift” from the Trump administration this February. With the ink barely dry on Trump and congressional Republicans’ partisan tax bill giving huge tax cuts to the richest Americans, Trump’s 2018 budget proposal makes it clear how they plan to pay for it—by slashing Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and other basic supports that help everyday Americans make ends meet.
What programs are at risk? First, the budget proposes repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which would strip health care from millions of Americans. Trump wants to decimate the Department of Education’s budget, making it clear that students are not one of his priorities. The EPA is one of the budget’s largest targets, which would suffer a 25 percent cut. That includes cutting critical regional water cleanup programs. And those Americans who rely on a range of benefit programs—from food assistance to Medicaid to housing subsidies—would see their futures put at risk.
Remember: a budget is more than just abstract numbers on a page. It has real-life consequences on Americans across the country. To read more about the human toll of the Trump budget, check out this new piece from the Center for American Progress.
ACTION OF THE DAY
To Immigrants With Love. On Valentine’s Day, it’s important to take time to send warm wishes to your loved ones. Between eating chocolates and sharing romantic dinners, set aside a few minutes of your special day to show your support for immigrants across the country. On this day, too many young immigrants are awaiting a solution for their future. Send your own message at ToImmigrantsWithLove.com. Then, call your senators at 202-224-3121, and demand they reject racism and protect Dreamers!
WHAT’S TRENDING
ADA Under Attack. Tomorrow, the House will vote on a bill that is a full-fledged attack on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was first enacted in 1990. The bill would have devastating impacts for people with disabilities, as it would shift the burden of compliance with the law from business owners to the people with disabilities whose civil rights are being violated. In addition, it would weaken the enforcement mechanisms present in the ADA, making it harder for disabled individuals to seek crucial protections. Disability rights activists are strongly opposed to the bill, and many were arrested yesterday while protesting on Capitol Hill. Call your representatives today, and demand they vote no on this flagrant attack on peoples’ civil rights.
Pruitt Flying First Class. Yesterday, it was revealed that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has a “blanket waiver” to fly business and first class on the taxpayer’s dime. The Washington Post calculated the total cost of just one of Pruitt’s international trips this summer at $90,000 and CBS News reported that Pruitt flew business class on an Emirates Airlines that cost $7,000 one-way. And just yesterday, Pruitt traveled on a first class flight to Boston. This is all while the Trump administration has insisted funding the EPA is too costly, and just this week proposed to cut funding to the agency by a third.
Stealing Hearts, Not Tips. The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing the elimination of a rule that prevents business owners from stealing workers’ tips. The change could lead to a loss of $6 billion in tips for workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The Trump administration knows this is bad for workers; in fact, the “Labor Department leadership scrubbed an unfavorable internal analysis from a new tip pooling proposal, shielding the public from estimates that showed employees could lose out on billions of dollars in gratuities.” You can take action today by demanding Congress stop this awful proposal.
UNDER THE RADAR
#ChildCare4All. Many parents are shocked when they learn that child care can cost them over $10,000 a year. When they also find out that child care workers earn very low wages, parents are left wondering “where does all that money go?” A new interactive from the Center for American Progress offers parents a simplified way to find out how much high-quality child care costs in every state and to see where exactly their child care payments go. The tool and accompanying report find that the cost of high-quality is far out of reach for most families. The authors conclude that increased public investment is needed to ensure that all families—not just the wealthiest Americans—can ensure their children have access to high-quality early education.