MAGA Republicans Want You To Pay More

This piece was originally published in the May 20, 2022 edition of CAP Action’s newsletter, the Progress Report. Subscribe to the Progress Report here.

“I happen to think it’s a good thing when American families have a little more money in their pockets at the end of the month. The Republicans in Congress don’t seem to think so. Their plan is going to make working families poorer.” – President Joe Biden

It’s a tale of two plans to fight inflation, and the differences between them could not be more stark.

President Biden has a plan to help working people keep more of their money. His plan would allow Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices, cap insulin costs at $35 per month, and build on the Affordable Care Act by lowering net health care premiums for 9 million people. Combined, these savings would deliver significant relief for patients. Meanwhile, the clean energy tax credits in his climate plan would save the average household $500 per year in energy costs. How does he pay for it? Biden’s plan ensures the rich pay their fair share with a minimum tax of 20 percent on households with a net worth of more than $100 million.

In contrast, the MAGA Republicans released a plan that would actually increase taxes on 76 million households at a time when Americans are already paying higher prices for necessities, all while taking health care away from more than 20 million people during a pandemic. The MAGA Republicans are focused on holding on to power in order to enrich themselves and their donors—not on working people—and their plans make it crystal clear.

Share the graphic below to show the substantial contrasts between the Biden plan and the MAGA Republican plan:

In the news

• President Biden announced plans to address the ongoing baby formula shortage by both invoking the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production of formula and using American military aircraft to ship in formula that meets U.S. Department of Agriculture safety guidelines from overseas. The move comes as 192 House Republicans voted against an emergency spending bill to address the crisis.
• The House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at combating domestic terrorism in the wake of the racist attack in Buffalo, New York, last weekend. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 received the support of the entire House Democratic Caucus but only one Republican vote, from Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).

What we’re reading

• “Republicans Just Voted Against Feeding the Baby They’re Forcing You to Have” by Paul Blest (Vice)
• “A List of MAGA Republicans Who Took the ‘Great Replacement’ Theory Mainstream” by Will Ragland (Center for American Progress Action Fund)
• “U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is the target of a bar association complaint over his role in undermining the 2020 election results” by Brooke Park (The Texas Tribune)
• “Republicans have invoked the ‘great replacement’ theory over and over” by Judd Legum (The Guardian)
• “GOP lawmakers say primaries show Trump’s firm grip on party” by Alexander Bolton (The Hill)
• “Laws restricting lessons on racism are making it hard for teachers to discuss the massacre in Buffalo” by Mike Hixenbaugh (NBC News)
• “Former Sen. Doug Jones on Justice and the January 6 Investigation” by Daniella Gibbs Léger, Erin Phillips, Kelly McCoy, Tricia Woodcome, and Sam Signorelli (Center for American Progress Action Fund)

This piece was originally published in the May 20, 2022 edition of CAP Action’s newsletter, the Progress Report. Subscribe to the Progress Report here.