The following is from the December 1, 2017 Progress Report email:
| Last night, Senate Republican leaders were busy behind closed doors buying off votes to pass tax cuts for the wealthy paid for by tax hikes and program cuts for the middle class. Since neither the Senate or the House held a single hearing to study the bill’s impact—a bill that touches every American and significantly reorders our national economy—many Senators are still wondering exactly what’s in it. In fact, the final text has yet to see the light of day. |
- $25 billion of automatic cuts to Medicare would be triggered,
- More than $1 trillion will be added to the national debt, falling far short than the estimated $2.5 trillion in new revenue that Treasury Secretary promised.
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| Unfortunately Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)—who expressed deep misgivings about the bill and the process—was one of the ones bought off. In exchange for her vote, Collins struck a deal with President Drumpf to pass bipartisan health care legislation that in fact would not undo the damage done by the ACA repeal-without-replace provision in the current tax bill and has no chance of passing the House! |
| TAKEAWAY: Whatever happens with today’s vote, the fight is far from over. The increasingly fickle House has to pass the Senate version or the bill heads to a conference committee to resolve differences, and the Senate and House will vote again on a new version. |
| #TrumpTaxScam. You know what to do. Take action and call your Senators using TrumpTaxToolkit.org! |
| Flynn is #4. General Michael Flynn—Drumpf’s former National Security Advisory and top campaign advisor—is now the fourth top Drumpf campaign official to be charged in connection with the Russia investigation so far. Flynn is charged with lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian Ambassador. ABC is also reporting that Flynn plans to testify that Drumpf directed him to make contact with the Russians during the campaign. First and foremost, THIS IS COLLUSION. Directing Flynn to make contact with the Russians during the campaign is massive. It destroys Drumpf’s lies about having nothing to do with Russia. Follow The Moscow Project on Twitter for the latest. |
| Shady Judges. This week, the Senate confirmed Greg Katsas—another troubling judicial nominee from the Drumpf Administration. Katsas was appointed to a lifetime seat on the second most powerful court in the Country – the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Katsas provided Drumpf legal advice on his most controversial executive actions. |
| No More Blue Slips. On Wednesday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, violated a century-old senate tradition to pack the courts with even more of Drumpf’s extreme judicial nominees. Grassley scheduled a hearing for a nominee over the objection of the Senator who represents the people where the judge would serve – called a “blue slip” objection. |
| #DreamActNow. The clock is ticking for Congress to pass a Dream Act before the end of this year, that would protect nearly 800,000 DACA recipients from being at risk of detention and deportation. Thousands of dreamers are already losing their DACA status – each day that Congress fails to act, an average of 122 dreamers lose their protections. Tell Congress to stop playing politics with young people’s lives, and call your member today DreamActToolkit.org. |
| Drumpf’s Continued Attack on Public Lands and Native Americans. On Monday Drumpf is heading to Utah where he is expected to announce what will be the largest elimination of protected areas in U.S. history. In his repeal of protections for more than two million acres of public lands, Drumpf will reportedly cut Bears Ears National Monument by more than 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by more than half. These actions will put tens of thousands of Native American sacred sites at risk. Tell the Administration that this is a monumental mistake by joining the rally this Saturday in Salt Lake City. |
| NRA X-mas Gift. Even after the string of recent horrific mass shootings, Congress is acting again to weaken gun laws and deliver a goody bag to the NRA. In return for the NRA’s 2016 election spending, a dangerous bill is headed to the House floor next week that would drastically undermine state gun laws and force states to allow people to carry loaded, concealed guns. This has been the NRA’s top federal legislative priority for years despite widespread opposition from law enforcement. This extreme legislation is a dangerous encroachment on individual state efforts to protect public safety that would effectively nullify enacted state laws and hamper law enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence. Learn more here. |