That’s what Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) called Trump’s budget proposal. Not a great sign for the Trump Administration. And it wasn’t just Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Heller (R-NV) called the budget “anti-Nevada,” Sen. Graham (R-SC) called it “terrible,” and Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said “I have some concern.” The reception wasn’t much better in the House of Representatives where even the ultra-conservative chairman of the House Freedom Caucus Rep. Meadows (R-NC) said Trump’s cuts to Meals On Wheels went too far.
That’s not a good sign for the Trump Administration. Presidential budgets are usually designed to be aspirational documents so the fact that the Trump Administration doesn’t even have support from its own party shows just how extreme the budget is. But don’t let those criticisms fool you. Many GOP leaders, even some who criticized the budget, have still expressed willingness to implement some of the most extreme parts of the proposal
The budget eliminates 66 programs altogether and slashes so many essential programs it is hard to keep track. Want to know just how harsh the budget is? Here’s a reading list.
ACTION OF THE DAY
It’s not over. Trumpcare that is. Today the CBO will release an updated score on the GOP plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As a reminder, the last time the CBO scored the bill, it said 24 million people would lose their health insurance if Trumpcare passed. Now, the CBO will update the score based on the most recent changes to the bill. That means we have to gear up (again) to fight Trumpcare. Right now, an all-male team of 13 is working on drafting the Senate version of the bill. Share this graphic to demand a transparent process
WHAT’S TRENDING
Settling the score. The Congressional Budget Office is releasing its score of the American Health Care Act today. Speaker Paul Ryan didn’t wait for the score before pushing the bill through the House of Representatives, meaning the representatives who voted in favor of AHCA did so without knowing how the bill would affect health care coverage or costs. Based on the score on the previous version of AHCA, which found that 24 million people would lose their health insurance, this score will likely show massive coverage losses and premium increases thanks to Trumpcare. Catch up on what to look for in the score here.
Contempt of Congress? If Michael Flynn doesn’t comply with the Senate Intelligence Committee’s latest round of subpoena requests, the list of possible crimes he’s committed may expand to include contempt of Congress. Last time the Senate Intel Committee subpoenaed Flynn, he plead the 5th. That might not be so easy this time around, since the Committee is subpoenaing his company—which isn’t covered by the 5th amendment. Stay tuned.
Penance. Looks like Donald Trump is getting some for his frequent attacks on the environment. At his meeting with Trump at the Vatican today, Pope Francis gave the man who has called climate change a hoax his 2015 encyclical letter on the environment and climate change. Hopefully Trump reads it.
Broken Promises. Red states stand to be the biggest losers under Trump’s proposed budget. Under the proposal, hundreds of millions of dollars would be slashed from social security programs that impoverished people from Trump states rely on, including Medicaid – which Trump promised not to cut.
Robin Hood in reverse. Trump administration Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he “can’t guarantee tax reform won’t benefit the wealthy.” We can all but guarantee it will.
UNDER THE RADAR
Flipping. Not just talking about Georgia’s 6th district anymore. Tomorrow, Montana voters will take to the polls in the special election to replace Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), who is now Trump’s Interior Secretary. The close election is seen as an early test of voter sentiment in the Trump era. Meanwhile, at the state level, a special election on Long Island yesterday brought victory to Democrat Christine Pellegrino in the District 9 State Assembly special election. For reference, Trump won District 9 by 23 points in November. And the same thing happened in the Granite State, where Democrat Edith DesMarais defeated Republican Matthew Plache in a special election for the state House in a district Trump won by 9 points.
GOOD NEWS
#YouHaveRightsNYC. That’s the name of New York City’s new campaign to fight discrimination in the age of Trump.