The Senate Majority—led by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)—is continuing its health care shell game. But while Senators try to hide their bill from the public millions of lives are on the line Yesterday afternoon, the Senate voted down a measure that would repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan. That leaves them with the so-called “skinny” repeal as the final version to vote on.
This plan is a fake retreat from their other cruel plans. It will still take health care away from 16 million people, raise premiums by 20 percent or more, destabilize the insurance markets and our economy, and likely de-fund Planned Parenthood. That would cause 19,300 Americans to die in 2026 alone.
This means that if this bill passes, and Senate majority leaders go on to compromise with House majority leaders, a guaranteed 16 million people—at minimum—will lose their coverage. And on top of all of that, “skinny” repeal won’t even achieve the Senate majority’s main stated goal of cutting premiums.
ACTION OF THE DAY
I am a health care voter. Health care should be affordable, accessible, high-quality, and should strengthen protections for everyone. Take the pledge to hold elected officials accountable and support those who are fighting to protect our care. Then use TrumpcareToolkit.org to hold those officials accountable!
WHAT’S TRENDING
Bipartisanship. May not be trending at the federal level, but the states are stepping up. A bipartisan group of governors released a letter slamming the Senate’s “skinny” repeal bill and echoing Sen. McCain (R-AZ)’s call for the Senate to return to regular order.
Discrimination. The Trump administration is attacking the LGBTQ community from all sides. Yesterday, just hours after Trump’s tweets calling to ban transgender people from the military, the Department of Justice filed an amicus brief saying that the Trump Administration doesn’t believe that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits anti-LGB employment discrimination. The DOJ doesn’t normally weigh in on private employment lawsuits like this – so Trump and Sessions are going out of their way to support workplace discrimination against LGBTQ people. Their position is way out of step with the EEOC, other federal courts, legal scholars, and Americans of all political affiliations who strongly support LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections.
Protect Trans Troops. Make your voice heard: send a letter to Trump telling him to protect trans troops.
“Generous.” That’s what Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called Trump’s decision to donate his second-quarter salary—a total of $100,000—to the Department of Education. DeVos left out the fact that before donating that $100,000, Trump included a $9.2 billion cut to the department in his budget.
UNDER THE RADAR
Stolen Guns. A gun is stolen every two minutes in the United States. And these stolen guns often enable violent crime, like the recent killing of NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia. Congress can do something about it. The question is whether or not they will.
GOOD NEWS
It’s electric. The future, that is. In the latest example of other countries stepping up to the plate in the fight against climate change, Britain announced plans to ban all new diesel and gas cars by 2040. Britain is joins other countries and companies—like France and Volvo—who are leading the push to electric vehicles. Want to show your commitment to fighting climate change? You can do it at IAmStillIn.org.