461,000 Georgians would lose health coverage if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed.
4.4 million Georgians with preexisting conditions would have their protections stripped away.
Washington, D.C. — Today, President Donald Trump will travel to Macon, Georgia, to hold a rally in an airplane hangar at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. His event will be the seventh of 12 scheduled in-person rallies, following the revelation of his COVID-19 diagnosis on October 2, rather than quarantine for the two-week period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After risking the health of Secret Service members to take a joyride outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he told the country not to let the virus “dominate your lives,” despite the more than 216,000 lives lost in the United States due to the president’s failed pandemic response and his lies to the American people about the true danger of the virus since February. This week, Trump falsely claimed to be immune to the virus, despite failing to disclose when he last tested negative.
With Georgia passing more than 336,241 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,492 dead, Trump’s recklessness and lies are putting Georgians at risk. In the first 2020 presidential debate, Trump claimed that there has been “no negative effect” from his rallies. However, at least two have been linked to surges in cases: His rally in Tulsa was tied to a record increase in COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma as well as the death of Herman Cain, while his rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, has been linked to 16 people infected with COVID-19, two of whom have been hospitalized. Trump himself likely contracted the virus at an unsafe event with supporters at the White House.
Instead of leading the country out of the pandemic, Trump continued his attack on the ACA. After revealing a panicked health care executive order that does nothing to protect preexisting conditions, Trump maintained his commitment to striking down the ACA, which will be argued in the U.S. Supreme Court one week after the election. If the Trump-backed lawsuit to repeal the ACA succeeds, 461,000 state residents would lose health coverage, and 4.4 million Georgians with preexisting conditions would face higher premiums or be barred from coverage altogether.
Learn more about how the Trump administration’s policies have hurt Georgia families and put them at risk below.
Health care
Claim: “Those with pre-existing conditions will always get the quality coverage they need.” – Donald Trump, September 24, 2016
Reality: The Trump administration is trying to repeal the ACA through the courts with no replacement. If successful, the Trump administration will strip coverage from millions of Americans, raise premiums, and end protections for people with preexisting conditions. In Georgia:
- 4.4 million residents with preexisting conditions would lose protections if the Trump-backed lawsuit to repeal the ACA succeeds.
- 461,000 residents could lose coverage if the ACA is repealed.
Profits and wages
Claim: “I will be the greatest jobs President that God ever created. … [O]ur poorer citizens will get new jobs and higher pay and new hope for their life.” – Donald Trump, October 5, 2016
Reality: President Trump promised voters that he would prioritize the interests of the middle class. Instead, he’s prioritized the wealthiest Americans and corporations.
- President Trump has the worst jobs record in history and is the only president to have lost net jobs on his watch.
- Trump blocked a federal minimum wage increase for Georgia workers. More than 1.5 million workers in the state were denied a pay increase, resulting in more than $5.8 billion in lost wages.
Taxes
Claim: “No one will gain more from these proposals than low- and middle-income Americans.” – Donald Trump, August 8, 2016
Reality: Eighty-three percent of the Trump administration’s $2 trillion tax cut goes to big corporations and the rich. Many Georgia families are getting stuck with the bill.
- 406,860 Georgia families paid more in taxes last year due to the Trump administration’s tax bill.
- For the 2019 tax year, the average tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent of Georgia earners was $45,540. The average tax cut for the middle 20 percent was $570.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Zahir Rasheed at [email protected].