That’s Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) advice to House Republican leaders who are rushing to get their Obamacare repeal plan done. Why the rush? Members of Congress have been flooded with resistance—from calls to their offices to protest at town halls—to repealing the Affordable Care Act. So now, House Republican leaders, who put out a new repeal bill this week, are trying to repeal the law ASAP in the hopes that the American people don’t realize their plan covers fewer people, weakens protections, and raises costs—all while giving the wealthy and insurance companies massive tax breaks.
Sen. Cotton isn’t the only prominent Republican to criticize the bill. Sen. Collins (R-ME) admitted that the House bill would be dead on arrival in the Senate and as many as 70 House Republicans could oppose the bill. Also notable: Andrey Ostrovsky, the Medicaid chief medical officer, broke with the official statements of Tom Prices’s Department of Health and Human Services to come out against the bill, which would mean massive cuts for Medicaid.
Despite the opposition, two House Committees—Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means—are marking up the bill this week. That means they’re proposing lots of amendments to the bill like whether it should not be able to move forward until the Congressional Budget Office scores the bill or whether it should really be called the “Republican Pay More For Less Care Act.”
ACTION OF THE DAY
Resist #Trumpcare. We’re watching as House Republicans try to rush through their Obamacare repeal plan. Follow along with us on Twitter @CAPAction and get live updates on amendment votes here to hold members accountable for their harmful votes.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Denial. ICYMI: Scott Pruitt—Trump’s EPA Administrator—still denies the science behind human caused climate change. Pruitt said this morning he “would not agree” that carbon dioxide emissions are a “primary contributor” to global warming. The entire scientific community (and his own administration’s website), however, do agree that human-caused carbon emissions are the primary driver of climate change. The buck doesn’t stop with him, Pruitt is staffing the entire agency with fellow deniers.
Paging Uncle Sam. Despite President Trump’s claims that the United States’ corporate tax rate holds companies back, it turns out that a large portion of the nation’s top companies very little to no income taxes, even on their large profits. In fact, over the past 8 years, 258 consistently profitable companies in the Fortune 500 paid an effective tax rate of 21.2 percent, which is far lower than the 35 percent corporate tax rate that President Trump keeps citing. And 100 of these companies paid zero income tax for at least one year in the last eight years. Despite their already small tax bills, President Trump and congressional Republicans keep vowing to cut corporate taxes.
Make America Weak Again. That’s what Trump is doing by spreading anti-Muslim rhetoric. Not only do Trump’s anti-Muslim words and actions go against America’s core values, but they also play into the hands of terrorists. More from Center for American Progress’s Sam Fullwood here.
UNDER THE RADAR
Hawaii. The Aloha state became the first to file suit against Trump’s Muslim ban 2.0. The state argues, like Washington State did in the suit that blocked the first order, that the executive order will harm Muslim populations. In other words, Hawaii is saying whaTt we know to be true: despite Trump’s rhetoric, the new order amounts to a ban on Muslims and refugees and any such ban is unconstitutional. This fight is only just beginning, and we expect other challenges in the days and weeks to come.
TRANSITION TRACKER
Huntsman. Former Utah Governor John Huntsman has reportedly been offered a position as U.S. Ambassador to Russia, a job that’s sure to be a high profile one in an Administration with seemingly never-ending ties to Russia. No matter who ends up being the ambassador to Russia, one thing will remain true: only an independent commission will get the full truth about ties between Trump and Russia.
GOOD NEWS
The children are our future. And they are on top of it. This 4th grader started a club for female empowerment. Please send any tips for how we can get in.