A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
[link removed]
***********************
Friend,
Welcome to our weekly “Trumptastrophe” email series that serves to remind
us of the destructive policies, decisions, and actions we encountered
during the Trump presidency and the threats that he and others in the MAGA
movement still pose – and to keep those moments clear in our memory as we
fight to defeat Republican extremists during the upcoming elections.
This week’s Trumptastrophe focuses on former President Trump’s failed
promises to overturn the wildly popular Affordable Care Act – a hallmark
piece of legislation from the Obama administration that improved access to
health care for millions of Americans. Despite Trump’s failed attempts to
overturn the ACA, the Far Right’s efforts to undermine it or repeal it
have shown no signs of slowing down and they are certain to try to again
if they win this November:
On June 25, 2020, the Trump administration filed [ [link removed] ]a brief asking the
U.S. Supreme Court to rule that the Affordable Care Act was
unconstitutional and invalid. HuffPo reporter Mary Papenfuss [ [link removed] ]noted at
the time, “The late-night move, taken as coronavirus cases reach record
levels, threatens the health insurance of millions of Americans.”
Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [ [link removed] ]slammed the administration: “If
President Trump gets his way, 130 million Americans with pre-existing
conditions will lose the ACA’s lifesaving protections and 23 million
Americans will lose their health coverage entirely,” she said. “There is
no legal justification and no moral excuse for the Trump Administration’s
disastrous efforts to take away Americans’ health care.”
The administration’s brief was filed in [ [link removed] ]California v. Texas, a case
that raised questions about standing and the constitutionality of the
ACA’s individual mandate after the Republican Congress reduced the penalty
for noncompliance to zero. At issue was whether the rest of the law could
remain in effect even if the mandate was ruled unconstitutional. The case
was complicated, but the goal of the MAGA Republican state attorneys
general who filed the case was simple: abolish the ACA.
The case was argued before the Supreme Court on Nov. 10, 2020, while Trump
was scheming to remain in power after losing the election the week before.
Shortly after President Joe Biden took office, the Justice Department
[ [link removed] ]notified the court that the federal government had changed its position
and urged the court to uphold the ACA. The court [ [link removed] ]ruled in June 2021
that the plaintiffs were not injured by the law and therefore did not have
standing to challenge it, effectively overturning the lower court’s
decision and [ [link removed] ]keeping the law in place.
Much like Trump’s [ [link removed] ]never-fulfilled promises on infrastructure, his
campaign pledge to replace “Obamacare” with “something terrific” [ [link removed] ]never
materialized. His first half-baked effort was [ [link removed] ]withdrawn in the face of
withering criticism, leading Trump to [ [link removed] ]claim falsely that he had never
promised immediate repeal.
A few months later, congressional Republican leaders [ [link removed] ]tried to ram
through a partial repeal that the Congressional Budget Office said would
have raised premiums by 20 percent and left tens of millions of people
uninsured. It would have [ [link removed] ]threatened protections for pre-existing
conditions. Trump backed the effort, which failed when a few Republican
senators joined Democrats in voting against it.
“Trump had four years to replace — or at least remake — the Affordable
Care Act,” CNN noted this April. While he wasn’t able to get rid of it,
the changes he did make [ [link removed] ]weakened protections for insured people and,
in CNN’s words, “unleashed uncertainty into the marketplace.”
As the Democratic Party has [ [link removed] ]reminded supporters, “Trump spent his
entire presidency trying (and failing) to get rid of the ACA while making
it harder for people to sign up for health care.” And he’s still trying.
Campaigning to get back in power, Trump says that “[ [link removed] ]Obamacare sucks.”
He [ [link removed] ]claims that he’ll improve the ACA, but he [ [link removed] ]hasn’t revealed an
actual plan. The Trump campaign’s Agenda 47 website promises “better
health care choices at lower costs” without revealing how that would be
accomplished.
Trump’s hostility to “Obamacare” is not shared by the American people.
Most Americans, including nearly two-thirds of independents, [ [link removed] ]view the
law favorably. During this year’s open enrollment period, [ [link removed] ]a record
number of Americans—21.3 million—got health insurance through the ACA
marketplace. That reality makes it clear that replacing the law would be
[ [link removed] ]difficult and unpopular, even if Trump’s rhetoric pleases the
anti-government zealots and free-enterprise fundamentalists in his base
who don’t believe the government has a role to play in ensuring Americans
access to health care.
In this year’s [ [link removed] ]State of the Union address, President Biden said the
ACA is “still a very big deal” and warned that many Republicans want to
repeal it. Biden also talked about how giving Medicare the power to
negotiate lower prescription drug prices—a [ [link removed]'s%20lower,that%20already%20negotiate%20drug%20prices. ]feature of Biden’s
Inflation Reduction Act—is saving consumers and taxpayers money. That
policy is something Trump’s [ [link removed] ]Project 2025 allies are hoping to
eliminate when they “[ [link removed] ]take the reins” of government if he wins.
Trump’s record on the Affordable Care Act reminds us that he’s better at
political posturing than at actual governing—and that he’s more than
willing to throw vulnerable Americans under the bus for a chance to claim
a political victory. Maybe Trump’s campaign materials should carry a
warning: Voting for this candidate has been shown to be harmful to your
health.
These are just some of the reasons we need YOU in this
fight. So, find your
favorite way to unwind after reading through this week’s recap, and then
make a plan for how you will fight back this week, this month, this
election cycle.
For members who are interested in sharing the weekly Trumptastrophe
series, [ [link removed] ]you can find all previous editions on our website! This post
will be published by Thursday so you can share with your friends and
family and remind them of the importance of ensuring that Trump is
defeated again this November.
[ [link removed] ]If you’d like to opt-out of this series but still continue receiving
our other email content, you can do so here >>
Thanks for all that you do to defeat Republican extremism.
– People For the American Way
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ [link removed] ]DONATE NOW
***********************
Do not reply directly to this e-mail. Please use
[email protected].
Trouble viewing the email?
VIEW AS WEB PAGE:
[link removed]
This email was sent to
[email protected]. Reaching you over email
is the best way we have to let you know about the ways you can take
action to fight the Right Wing and defend our constitutional rights
and values. If you have any thoughts, comments, or criticisms, or if
there's a better email address at which to reach you, please
let us know. If you'd like to unsubscribe from our list, you
can do that here:
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
. But know that if you leave, it will be harder for you to stay involved with People For the American Way and continue our
crucial work. PFAW is able to win policy battles and elections, and
counter the Right's extremism and hate, because of dedicated
activists like you, and we're always eager to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for your support.
[link removed]
CONTACT:
[link removed]
PRIVACY POLICY:
[link removed]
FACEBOOK:
[link removed]
TWITTER:
[link removed]
YOUTUBE:
[link removed]
1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC xxxxxx-5002,
202-467-4999
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
