Progressives and Democrats make coast-to-coast protest push to finish off Trump’s assault on health care – Salon
This article originally appeared on AlterNet.
The political battle to stop the GOP-led Congress from destroying healthcare safety nets via House and Senate bills to dismantle Obamacare and shrink Medicaid jumped into a new orbit Wednesday, as the Senate Majority Leader said he would keep revising the legislation and numerous pro-healthcare groups stepped up their protests.
On Tuesday, Mitch McConnell announced he did not have enough votes to pass his healthcare-cutting bill before the upcoming long July 4 holiday recess. While McConnell said on Wednesday that he hoped to have a revised bill before the weekend, his failure to get 50 out of 52 Republican senators to go along prompted progressives and Democrats to launch a new wave of protests, phone-banking, letter-writing and other efforts targeting Republicans in 10 states before Congress reconvenes in mid-July.
These efforts come as new polls find that only 12 percent of the public supports the Senate Republicans healthcare plan. A 53% majority say Congress should either leave the law known as Obamacare alone or work to fix its problems while keeping its framework intact, the USA Today/Suffolk University poll said.
By midday Wednesday, protests had begun. Outside the Capitol, NARAL Pro-Choice America held a rally attended by several Democratic senators and Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, Progressive Democrats of America activists hovered in the Phoenix and Tuscon offices of Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, where they held signs saying, Healthcare is a Right, Medicare for All, and wore hats saying, Single-payer now.
Flake is among a handful of GOP senators who have not endorsed McConnells bill or are seen as vulnerable in 2018 targeted by PDA. The other senators are Alaskas Lisa Murkowski, West Virginias Shelley Capito and Nevadas Dean Heller, who all would see draconian cuts to health care safety nets in their states.
PDA is one of many groups urging members to contact their senators. They have phone and letter-writing tools on their Facebook page. Others, like ActionNetwork.org, seeks volunteers for sit-ins at Senate offices on Thursday, July 6. While other Trump protests are planned, stopping McConnells health care bill is the most immediate priority.
AllOfUs, Democracy Spring, Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution, and The Peoples Consortium are working together to organize, coordinate, and support sit-ins at Senate offices across the country on Thursday, July 6th, ActionNetworks website said. We will target as many Republican Senators as possible with a common demand that they vote NO on the Better Care Reconciliation Act.
The Indivisible Project has launched TrumpCareTen.org, which targets GOP senators in 10 states. In addition to the states and senators named by PDA, theyre looking at Alaskas Dan Collins, Maines Susan Collins, Colorados Cory Gardner, Ohios Rob Portman, Pennsylvanias Pat Toomey, Louisianas Bill Cassidy and Arkansas Tom Cotton. Its site has brief sketches of each senators positions, scripts to call specific senators and other ones encouraging Democrats to stop all Senate business until McConnell relents.
Every day, Indivisible will post daily calls scripts to use on your calls to the 11 Senators in 10 key states focusing in on specific topics that must be addressed in the Senates work. Check back here and spread the word, they said.McConnells delay does not mean the bill is dead; it means this recess will determine whether the bill dies once and for all or lives to see another day.
Indivisibles site also had an interactive state-by-state map that gives callers specifics about how the Senate bill would raise premiums in each state, how many people would lose private insurance, employer-provided healthcare or coverage through Medicaid. It explains that callers to Senate offices need to speak knowledgeably to Senate staffers, because those conversations from home-state callers are noted and tallied.
Find out how much premiums would increase and how many people would lose health coverage in your state under TrumpCare then contact the Senate staffers handling health care for your Senators and tell them to vote NO on TrumpCare, their website said. As we said in the Guide, the person answering the phone when you call your member of Congress office will be a staff assistant or intern. You should always ask for the Senators legislative assistant who handles that particular issue for the Senator. In this case: health care. Often times, youll be put through to that persons voicemail. Leave one. And then use the information below to send a follow-up email.
What stopping the senate means
The stakes are enormous in the fight over the Senates bill. McConnells legislation is not merely fulfilling the GOPs promises for the past seven years to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare. The House and Senate have used that pledge to shoehorn in another longtime GOP goal, so-called federal entitlement reform, which, in this case, has meant cutting back the future funding of Medicaid by a quarter.
Each of these elements has very different implications. The Obamacare repeal provisions deregulate the health insurance marketplace. Congressional budget analysts have said it would leave the public paying less for premiums but far more for out of pocket costs due to escalating co-pays, deductibles and having insurance policies cover less than is now the case. As Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, told NPR on Tuesday, GOP lawmakers are not concerned with cutting the same costs as the public.
The conservatives theyre focused on what the federal government spends on health care, reducing federal spending and cutting the federal budget and capping entitlement programs, he said. The American people are focused on something entirely different: their own health bills, their premiums, their deductibles, and their drug prices.
Altman said that the House and Senate bills do nothing to address pocketbook concerns of ordinary Americans. In fact, by deregulating insurance markets, he said the GOPs bills would make these costs take even bigger bites out of household spending.
The biggest change in health care today has been the steady rise in deductibles and other forms of cost sharing, Altman said. That change in insurance is probably a bigger change than the ACA, which has occurred under the radar screen while weve had this great debate about the ACA. And the biggest question in health care were not debating is how much cost sharing is too much.
Meanwhile, as the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, the real impact of the GOPs decision to go after Medicaid (the government health plan for the poor and disabled) and mostly leave Medicare (the government plan for seniors) alone, pits the elderly against the poor. (The GOP bills still cut into Medicare, because Medicaid pays for nursing home care under that program.) But, as the Journal wrote, Bysingling out Medicaid, it would signal that the burden of cost containment will fall largely on the poor while sparing the elderly.
The deliberate undermining of healthcare for people with private insurance and lower income people on Medicaid tens of millions of whom are woman and children has left longtime Democratic lawmakers like Rep. John Lewis, D-GA, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, saying they have never seen a bill as cruel, heartless and backwards as the GOP health care proposals. To make matters even worse, the bills spending cuts would be given to the wealthiest Americans as tax relief.
Can you even believe what this does for wealthy people who can afford whatever they want with respect to healthcare? Feinstein said Tuesday. And all these children, five million of them [in California] that depend on Medi-Cal, or there is no health care My voice level goes up two octaves when I talk about it it makes me so upset.
I think its a shame and a disgrace that we are moving down this road, Lewis said on Monday, during a discussion with Sen. Corey Booker, D-NJ, on the Capitol steps that went viral. Telling the most vulnerable segment of society youre on your own.
Because of the Senates arcane rules and the procedural tactics that McConnell is using to push the bill through with a simple majority of 51 votes, no other Senate business can be taken up until the healthcare bill is passed or set aside.
This means that stopping the GOPs Obamacare-Medicaid-tax cut bill will could force the Republicans to work with Democrats going forward, as much as they have refused to do so thus far. On the other hand, if they pass it (and President Trump signs it), they will quickly move onto tax reform, where the GOP wants to give even more to the wealthy, leaving, as John Lewis said, the rest of America to fend for itself.
Thats why the protests this weekend and into early July will be pivotal as important as any seen since Trump and the current GOP-majority Congress too office.
See original here:
Progressives and Democrats make coast-to-coast protest push to finish off Trump's assault on health care - Salon
- Obama: Progressives made a 'mistake' in talking about what's wrong with boys - MSNBC News - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Why young progressives shouldn't give up on Indiana or flee from it | Opinion - IndyStar - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- The global situation from the perspective of the Kuwaiti progressives - Peoples Dispatch - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Where the Trump administration and Bay Area progressives agree: Psychedelics - San Francisco Chronicle - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Barack Obama calls out progressives' 'mistake' of constantly talking about what's wrong with boys - Fox News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Will California progressives have their Zohran Mamdani moment? - CalMatters - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Marc Maron Amits Progressives Are a Buzzkill in HBO Special Trailer - The Hollywood Reporter - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Judge rules against progressives in a hearing on the Cherry Hill county committee election - Inquirer.com - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Marc Maron Admits Progressives Are a Buzzkill in HBO Special Trailer: We Annoyed the Average American Into Fascism - IMDb - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- From New York to Tucson Working Families committed to electing real progressives with bold vision - Tucson Sentinel - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New York Times Mamdani smear shows how out of touch the paper is with progressives, especially on Palestine - Mondoweiss - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Progressives Must Unite Against Nigel Farage and National Populism or Reform Will Win - Byline Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Progressives Disdain of Genius Is a Problem for the West - Bloomberg.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Mamdani electrified progressives in New York. In San Francisco, the left is full of envy. - Politico - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Minnesota progressives sound alarm over Trump tax bill - Minnesota Reformer - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Can Progressives Get Behind Parental Rights for All? - First Things - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Opinion | Your shampoo is locked up in stores, thanks to progressives - The Boston Globe - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Progressives trapped in 'misinformation bubble' about transgender youth treatments, Atlantic writer admits - Fox News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Protecting the Rights of Parents from Progressives - Mosaic Magazine - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Catholic progressives and the development of sexual doctrine - Catholic World Report - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Why Zohran Mamdanis New York win does not really hold lessons for progressives across the world - Scroll.in - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Parents, not progressives, know their kids best. They should control education. | Opinion - Yahoo - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Gavin Newsom wont save California Progressives have damaged the state - UnHerd - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- After Zohran Mamdanis upset, theres a way forward for pro-Israel progressives - The Forward - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Zohran Mamdanis victory should be a wake-up call to Canadian progressives - Ricochet Media - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Progressives tell Andrew Cuomo good riddance after Zohran Mamdanis shock victory in Democratic primary - the-independent.com - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Pennsylvania progressives turn back to former Fetterman foe as congressman spurns party line - Washington Examiner - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- After Zohran Mamdanis upset, theres a way forward for pro-Israel progressives - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Progressives Just Won Big in New York's Second-Largest City - Newsweek - June 26th, 2025 [June 26th, 2025]
- Big win in New York is a message for progressives. The Big Beautiful Bull further exposed. - Daily Kos - June 26th, 2025 [June 26th, 2025]
- How Cherry Hill progressives upset the Norcross machine - MSN - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Progressives and leftists must unite to save humanity from nuclear war - Granma - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- My conversation with a 'Third Way' Democrat: can progressives & centrists coexist in one party? - Daily Kos - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Politics | 2025 Was Supposed to Be a Big Year for RI Progressives at State House. It Is a Bust. - GoLocalProv - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Progressives Abandoned J. K. Rowling, Not the Other Way Around - National Review - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Inside the Cherry Hill political battle that pitted progressives against the Norcross machine - Inquirer.com - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Not Just Progressives: Over Half of Trump Voters Oppose US War on Iran - Common Dreams - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Ras Baraka: Dont Count Out the Progressives - New Jersey Globe - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- A new book explores why progressives made it impossible to build in America - Inquirer.com - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Opinion: Someone please send progressives the destination and ETA - Star Tribune - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- New power in Riga? New Unity and Progressives seek common ground - Baltic News Network - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Republican Antitrust Officials Shouldnt Behave Like Progressives - The Daily Economy - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Why people follow religions, and why progressives should care. - Daily Kos - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Hakeem Jeffries agrees with Elon Musk. Progressives do not, nor should any Democrat or American. - Daily Kos - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- House Progressives Block the Bombs Act Would End Transfer of Offensive Arms to Israel - Democracy Now! - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- The Billionaires Backing the Neoliberal 'Abundance Coachella' Gathering Draw Ire From Progressives - Common Dreams - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Revolution against Israel, US, and the West binds progressives to Iran - The Jerusalem Post - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- South Korean voters weary of political crisis are poised to return progressives to power - Le Monde.fr - June 7th, 2025 [June 7th, 2025]
- Video: Opinion | Progressives Are Driving Themselves Into Extinction - The New York Times - May 30th, 2025 [May 30th, 2025]
- Progressives anything but when it comes to Israel - Daily Herald - May 30th, 2025 [May 30th, 2025]
- How Progressives Are Unwittingly Aiding the Rise of Autocracy - Foreign Policy - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Progressives should care that the global population is set to fall - vox.com - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Progressives Mark Mother's Day With Calls to 'Honor Our Moms With Action' - Common Dreams - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Trump doesn't fear smart women. It's progressives who are really afraid. | Opinion - USA Today - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- With Trump in the Mix, Progressives Are Winning the Intra Party Crypto War - notus.org - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Democrats and Progressives Won Widespread Victories Across Texas in Backlash against MAGA Extremism - Progress Texas - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- The Progressives, The Conservatives, The Italians: Why This Conclave Is Different - Worldcrunch - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Newsoms back to needling progressives - Politico - May 2nd, 2025 [May 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion - The Supreme Courts immigration about-face has progressives all twisted up - Yahoo - May 2nd, 2025 [May 2nd, 2025]
- Are Progressives Coming Together in the South Bay ? Check Out "We The People South Bay" - LA Progressive - May 2nd, 2025 [May 2nd, 2025]
- The Risks Progressives Wont Discuss - The Times of Israel - May 2nd, 2025 [May 2nd, 2025]
- Watch: House progressives speak on first 100 days of Trumps second term - AOL.com - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- City Politics: Who Will Win Progressives' Votes?; Upwardly Mobile Jobs; Anne Applebaum on Trump - WNYC - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- National progressives back Houston attorney who fought GOP in court in Texas special election - The Hill - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- SIMS: I Agree With The Progressives Hands Off! - NH Journal - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Progressives: Can Religious and Non Religious get along? - Daily Kos - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- NYC progressives want to beat Adams and Cuomo. Can they set aside their differences? - Gothamist - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Josue Sierra: When progressives turn their backs on women - Broad + Liberty - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Why progressives failed the test of Oct 7 with Joshua Leifer - The Times of Israel - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Maybe progressives shouldn't have supported a larger, more extensive federal government for 100 years - The Daily Review - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Rich Lowry: Maybe progressives shouldnt have supported a larger, more extensive federal government for 100 years - Lewiston Sun Journal - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Rich Lowry: Maybe progressives shouldn't have supported a larger, more extensive federal government for 100 years - The Joplin Globe - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Kellyanne Conway rips progressives over Tesla protests: 'Trump derangement syndrome has reached stage five' - Fox Business - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- A Cohesive Message from Progressives - The New Yorker - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- The Left Has Turned White Progressives Into Hood Rats - AM 870 The ANSWER - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Progressives Are Pissed. This Group Wants Them to Run for Office - Rolling Stone - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- AOC and other NY progressives call for Mahmoud Khalils release in letter to DHS - City & State New York - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Progressives are not demanding any special rights for anyone | Letters - Yahoo - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Californias Gavin Newsom opposes trans athletes in womens sports, splitting with progressives - MyMotherLode.com - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Progressives Gather In Concord to Protest, Well, Just About Everything - NH Journal - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]