Issues: Economy

Editorial Roundup: “If True” Edition

The Trump administration was again rocked by a series of negative editorials from newspapers across the country this week, as they planned to raise taxes on the middle class to give wealthy people like Trump a tax cut, refused to act to prevent mass shootings like the tragedy in Texas, and wouldn’t demand Roy Moore drop out of the Alabama Senate race following revelations he’d made sexual advances on underage girls.

Here’s what Americans read this week in their local newspapers:

11/3

Asbury Park Press: GOP Tax Reform Plan Works — For The Rich

House Republicans revealed their tax “reform” plan on Thursday, the one President Trump has never tired of telling us will be really, really terrific — maybe the best idea in the history of American history. He is, of course, spectacularly wrong.

This is a colossal mess, a wildly ill-conceived handout to the wealthy […]

Read more after the jump.

ICYMI: More layoffs planned at Carrier plant Trump promised to save

“President Trump is King Midas in reverse, every business he touches lays off American workers,” said American Bridge Vice President Shripal Shah.  “Here’s the truth: there have been more than 222,543 layoffs announced since Trump took office, including more than a thousand at the infamous Carrier Plant that Trump had promised to save.  His entire economic agenda has been lie, and the only consistent theme from his administration is a desire to further rig the economy for the super wealthy at the expense of the middle class.”

In addition to Carrier, many other businesses Trump touted have or promised to protect have turned around to layoff workers. This year that includes: 

Novartis laid off 204 workers — specifically noting that the jobs would be outsourced to India — even after Trump met with the company’s CEO.

Trump celebrating Boeing before the company laid off ~200 workers at the same […]

Read more after the jump.

NEW ANALYSIS: Congress’s official tax scorekeeper finds GOP plan would raise taxes on millions of middle class families

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation found that in 2027, the Republican tax plan would raise taxes on millions of middle class Americans, refuting false claims from Trump and members of Congress:

“Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are insulting the intelligence of the American people as they try to rig the U.S. economy against them. Raising taxes on millions of middle class families in order to create new tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations tears Trump’s ‘populist’ promises to shreds. Revealingly, at the very same time one of the closest Republicans in Congress to Trump slipped and told the truth: this tax scam that sticks it to American families is all about pleasing big-money Republican donors.”

Yesterday, a New York Times analysis also found that “Nearly half of all middle-class families would pay more in taxes in […]

Read more after the jump.

Statement: Trump threatens more Obamacare sabotage unless Republican tax bill takes coverage from millions as it raises taxes on middle class families

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates issued the following statement after it was reported that Donald Trump is preparing an executive order to cripple the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, and which would be used if congressional Republicans do not repeal the mandate in their tax reform plan.

​”Raising taxes on millions of middle class families, and at the same time taking health coverage from 28 million people, in order to pay for new tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and large corporations is dead wrong as an economic policy, and would be a catastrophic one-two punch for working people. Trump’s partisan sabotage of health insurance markets is already making healthcare costs skyrocket, and at the same time he’s trying sell them out even more by rigging the tax code for millionaires.”

The Trump Administration’s own Department of Health & Human Services has confirmed that premiums on the […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump To Sign Pro-Wall Street, Anti-Consumer And Veteran Bill Behind Closed Doors

This afternoon – without press access and behind closed doors – Donald Trump will sign legislation dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s rule against forced arbitration – a practice used by Wall Street banks, credit card companies, and predatory lenders to deny Americans their full legal rights when they are victims of fraud on the part of those companies.

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates responded to Trump’s signing of the bill with the following statement:

“Donald Trump is selling-out middle class families, working Americans, and veterans by signing this dangerous legislation – a key Wall Street lobbying priority – which lets banks and credit card companies evade legal accountability after defrauding their customers. And he’s doing it behind closed doors, hoping that no one will notice. Giving large, financial sector companies the ability to deprive American consumers of fundamental legal rights using fine print is the exact opposite of ‘draining the swamp’ – and it’s […]

Read more after the jump.

Editorial Roundup: Release All The Records Edition!

Last week, while Congressional Republicans sided with banks and credit companies over their own constituents, and San Juan Mayor Cruz fought with Whitefish Energy, Donald Trump reiterated his support for Ed Gillespie, reversed his stance multiple times on 401(k)s, and tried to obstruct a teenager from obtaining an abortion.

 

Editorial boards across the country criticized Trump for his ACA sabotage, Trump’s Opioid epidemic response, echoed the criticisms of former Presidents and Republican Senators, and more. Here’s what Americans read this week in their local newspapers:

 

10/20

 

Burlington Free Press: For The President, It’s Donald Trump First

 

The real danger of Trump’s performance in office is that Americans become so numb to the president’s outrageous behavior that they are unable to recognize the erosion of democracy taking place in plain sight.

 

The president sucks the air out of the news cycle with erratic tweets, sudden position reversals and […]

Read more after the jump.

Tax Policy Center shows Trump’s tax plan will REDUCE economic growth, refuting White House

An updated analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center concludes that the tax plan being written behind closed doors by Donald Trump and congressional Republican leadership would, in the long term, shrink U.S. economic growth.

This refutes claims made by Trump and administration officials – including a new Council of Economic Advisers report out today – who have promised that their tax proposal would result in American GDP growth of between 3-5%.

“The capstone of Donald Trump’s economic agenda – a backwards tax plan that would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and large corporations while raising taxes on millions of middle class families – would in fact reduce U.S. economic growth,” said American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates. “Delivering economic gains for American workers and families needs to be the number one focus of any tax legislation, and by that test this proposal fails spectacularly.” 

Key paragraph​s​:

“President Trump and his top aides have argued that the Framework would […]

Read more after the jump.

BREAKING: Companies not planning to create jobs with Trump’s corporate tax cuts

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after a Reuters report found that U.S. companies are already planning to use the tax cuts in the proposal that Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are writing behind closed doors in order to benefit shareholders instead of create new jobs, as Trump has promised. 

“The tax plan that Donald Trump and Republicans are writing behind closed doors puts the middle class and American workers dead last. Their tax proposal is a giveaway to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations at the expense of everyone else, and now the rug has been pulled-out from underneath the disingenuous arguments being made by the White House.”

Reuters: CEOs suggest Trump tax cut may lift investors more than jobs
Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is selling tax reform to Americans on the promise it will create extra income for companies to invest in […]

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WATCH: White House Inches Closer to Axing 401(k) Tax Benefits For Middle Class Families

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared on Fox News and repeatedly failed to say whether Americans’ 401(k) tax benefits were negotiable or not.

“This is an alarming dodge from the White House on a simple question – is Donald Trump going to break his promise on 401(k) tax benefits that middle class families count on for retirement savings or not? The backwards tax plan that Trump and Republicans are developing behind closed doors would already raise taxes on millions of middle class familieswhile giving 80% of its breaks to the richest 1% of taxpayers.  This is not a game – Donald Trump and Sarah Huckabee Sanders need to come clean if they are planning to ax a key retirement planning tax deduction.”

On October 23, President Trump pledged to the American people that there would be […]

Read more after the jump.

Senate Republicans and Trump Administration Try To Strip Middle Class Consumers of Key ​Economic ​Protection

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement regarding Senate Republican efforts to overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s rule prohibiting the use of “forced arbitration,” which has been used to prevent millions of hardworking Americans from accessing their full legal rights after being defrauded:

“Job growth has declined under Donald Trump, premiums are increasing because he’s undermining the ACA, and now Senate Republicans are trying to eliminate a key consumer protection rule that stops Wall Street banks and other financial institutions from denying basic legal rights to victims of fraud. Helping large businesses like Wells Fargo and Equifax avoid responsibility when middle class families are ripped-off is the exact opposite of ‘draining the swamp.’ This is the latest proof that Trump and Republicans are selling-out struggling Americans.”

Wall Street’s top lobbying organization, the banking industry, and payday lenders having been advocating for the Trump Administration […]

Read more after the jump.