The Democratic, debt-reducing alternative to the GOP’s healthcare blow-out
This morning, I voted against MAGA Republicans’ tax and healthcare cuts bill. Here's what I was against in this bill. And, here's the kind of bill I would be for.
I'm against increasing the national debt. This bill adds at least $2 trillion over the next decade.
I am for deficit reduction, with the aim of halving federal deficits to less than 3% of gross domestic product, putting our national debt on a glidepath downwards.
I'm against cutting taxes for the rich.
I am for modest increases on income, inheritance, and capital gains taxes for the highest earners. And I’m for extending tax cuts for the middle class, particularly through the child tax credit.
I’m against spending a billion dollars to lower the cost of silencers for pistols by revoking a $200 tax on those sales.
I’m for universal background checks, regulating ghost guns, and banning assault weapons.
I'm against treating Medicaid for 8 million Americans as ‘waste’ to be cut. This bill would disenroll millions of Americans from Medicaid through paperwork requirements. These Americans will still need healthcare – but will get it more expensively and less comprehensively through emergency rooms, instead.
I'm for addressing fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid, as well as waste at the Internal Revenue Service, where more than half a trillion dollars are not collected annually due to ineffective methods.
I’m against raising energy costs and reducing energy investment in America. This bill would imperil a half trillion dollars of energy supply and manufacturing, derail the nuclear industry, and add hundreds of dollars to households’ annual energy bills over the next decade.
I’m for tax credits for investment and production that have been propelling American nuclear power and clean energy dominance, improving the electrical grid, and lowering utility bills for business and families.
The bill that House Republicans just passed is the worst piece of legislation to get a majority vote in the lower chamber this century.
It works well for people like Brad Smith, the billionaire Trump donor and chief of healthcare for DOGE, who now gets a tax cut while also making money through the Medicaid business that he both runs as a founder and regulates as a government official.
But it's a terrible bill for the American people, who will face higher health care costs, as well as an increased burden of national debt.
Democrats can offer much better tax and spending reforms: money in the pockets of the middle class, modest tax increases for high earners, and a declining national debt; all while protecting healthcare and preventing corruption.
Very well stated. This administration is truly a group of mafiosos. It should be called MASA (make America Stupid Again). Privatizing health care is going to raise the price dramatically. Medicare currently has about a 5% overhead, while Blue Cross (different in every state) has an overhead in the 20% range. If everyone was on Medicare, the same money would cover everyone. I am a Physician and know a great deal about this. The United Health Fraud case is real. They will get out of this with a slap on the hand while they screw the public and blame it on anyone but themselves. On the Health Care Front, the greatest issue is that "Health Care Insurance" has been anti-trust exempt since 1937. This means that they legally fix fees and can alter what they cover at a whim. They use public health care dollars to Lobby against us all to the tune of millions every year. It is time that Government restored our Constitution as the founding fathers wrote it. Lobbying was illegal and should never have been allowed. Dark money needs to be taken out of politics and there should be fixed term limits, also as directly outlined in the Constitution. On the topic of Environment, the increases in jobs and reduction in energy costs which began during the Biden Administration were huge, if allowed to continue. Many of the effects have not had time to come to fruition. China is building out solar and wind at a rapid pace and are now beyond their 2030 goals for green energy sources. They prioritize education as well. This is how to make a country great. It is not by robbing from the poor and giving to the rich.
Yes. Balance the annual budget to stop the awesome growth of US debt mountain. Increase tax on high incomes. Lower interest rates to reduce cost of annual interest on the debt. Cut federal, state & local red tape so government can actually implement stuff. Create equal education (pre-school - 12th grade) and opportunity for every US resident. Expose every instance of federal corruption. Regain the House & Senate ASAP.