Politicians & Pundits: Donald Trump

BREAKING: Trump wants taxes cut for the 1%, tax increase for the working poor 

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after news broke that Donald Trump and congressional Republicans plan to combine new tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans with a tax increase on the middle class and the working poor.

​”​Behind closed doors, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are planning to further rig the U.S. economy for the rich at the expense of the the middle class and those fighting to enter it.  Just like on healthcare, Donald Trump is showing his true colors by breaking his promises and selling-out the American people with a stagger​ing​ new tax increase on the working poor.”

Axios: Republicans agree to raise bottom tax rate, double standard deduction

Jonathan Swan

Top White House and GOP leaders have agreed to raise the lowest individual tax rate from 10 to 12 percent, paired with doubling the standard deduction, 5 senior Republicans tell us.

Why this […]

Read more after the jump.

Five Facts About Roger Stone

This morning, long time Trump confidante and adviser Roger Stone will testify before the House Intelligence Committee about his role in the Trump-Russia scandal. From his history with disgraced former campaign chairman and FBI target Paul Manafort to his multiple timely predictions about when Russian hackers were going to strike, here’s what you need to know about the many ways Stone fits into the Trump web of collusion.

1. Roger Stone’s relationship with Paul Manafort goes back four decades. In 1977 Manafort managed Stone’s campaign for Young Republican National Federation Chair and the two started a lobbying firm together in 1981.

2. Roger Stone was caught on tape admitting he communicated with Julian Assange during the campaign and predicted an “October Surprise.” Asked about his prediction for an “October Surprise,” Stone said, “Well, it could be any number of things. I actually have communicated with Assange. I believe the next tranche of his documents […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump Economy Jobs Report: 191,480+ Announced Layoffs

No amount of phony press conferences or twitter tantrums can erase the damage Trump’s chaos, scandals, and ethical clouds are doing to the economy.  Nearly 250 days into his tenure Trump has done nothing to follow through on his campaign promise to begin a large-scale rebuilding of the country’s crumbling infrastructure.

Here is a look at Trump’s time in office by the numbers:

191,486 American workers have received pink slips since Trump took office
126 foreign workers have been requested by Trump Organization businesses
83 days wasted by Trump hanging out at his own properties
17,941 American jobs lost shipped overseas since Trump entered the Oval Office
21,600,000 dollars spent on Trump’s fancy vacation getaways

Read more at TrumpEconomy.com

“From fancy port-a-potys to golf cart rentals the costs for Donald Trump vacations are piling up into the tens of millions with American taxpayers stuck paying the tab,” said American Bridge Vice President Shripal Shah.  “Adding injury to insult, nearly two-hundred-thousand Americans have lost their jobs […]

Read more after the jump.

Violating pledge, Donald Trump is trying to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of everyone else

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after it was reported that, contradicting assurances made by Donald Trump himself and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s tax reform plan will indeed include a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans:

“At the same time that he’s trying to take healthcare from 32 million Americans, Donald Trump is breaking his pledge from just weeks ago and using tax reform not to pursue the creation of good-paying middle class jobs, but to give a windfall to the richest Americans. Trump is a con artist who is hell-bent on further rigging the tax code for the rich at everyone else’s expense.”

Axios: Exclusive: Trump, GOP to cut top rate to 35 percent

Jonathan Swan
President Trump and Republican leaders plan to cut the top tax rate for the wealthiest Americans to 35 percent and dramatically reduce taxes on big and small businesses, according to details […]

Read more after the jump.

Editorial Roundup: Destroy North Korea Edition

This week editorial boards across the country again criticized Trump’s behavior and reckless foreign policy that was on full display during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly. Amidst yet another hurricane laying waste to Puerto Rico, another devastating earthquake in Mexico, and Senate Republicans reanimating Trumpcare to devastate Medicaid and strip coverage from 32 million Americans, Trump managed to march America closer to conflict with juvenile name calling, and editorial boards took him to task.
Here’s what editorial boards across the country had to say:
9/15

Tampa Bay Times: U.S. Needs Tax Reform, Not Tax Cuts For The Wealthy
President Donald Trump is in a big rush for Congress to approve big tax cuts, and he is using the damage left by Hurricane Irma to argue his case. One has nothing to do with the other, except for their negative impact on middle-class Floridians. The nation needs tax reform, […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump’s sabotage of the Affordable Care Act costs the people of Michigan

Donald Trump is actively sabotaging Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces, and it is costing the people of Michigan. Today, Health Alliance Plan announced that, as a result of Trump destabilizing the market, they will withdraw from offering individual coverage plans on the health insurance exchanges in Michigan. 

This news comes after Donald Trump has taken a host of executive actions that have harmed insurance markets and driven-up healthcare costs for Americans, including an executive order on Trump’s first day in office to compromise the effectiveness of the individual mandate, calling into question whether the mandate would be enforced at all, pulling an initial round of ACA enrollment ads that had already been paid for, and cutting the overall enrollment ad budget by 90% as well as community outreach funds by 40%.

Most damaging of all, Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), which are critical in order for 7 million working people to […]

Read more after the jump.

Editorial Roundup: Still the Worst Edition

Newspapers across the country slammed President Trump and his Administration’s continued incompetence this week, in editorials condemning Trump’s dishonest voter commission, his faux “tax reform” push that increasingly appears to be a giveaway for the rich at everyone else’s expense, his bungled response to natural disasters, and more.

Here’s a recap of what Americans read about Trump in their local newspapers this week:

9/8

Home News Tribune: Don’t Forget About Trump’s Tax Returns

Trump, of course, defied 40 years of presidential tradition by refusing to release his tax returns while campaigning. He concocted an explanation that he couldn’t be transparent because he was being audited, but it was apparent then and even more obvious now that the president never had any intention of offering that information to the public. He wants everyone to move on.

That means one thing: He’s hiding something. Not something illegal, necessarily, or even particularly unethical. But […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump’s ACA sabotage is hurting Louisianians, but Sen. Cassidy isn’t protecting them

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after it was reported that the Trump Administration’s most recent action undercutting the Affordable Care Act marketplaces would directly harm harm Louisianians: 

“These cuts by the Trump Administration will cause real pain for Louisiana families who need help signing up for health care in the marketplaces. But instead of standing up for those Louisianians, Sen. Bill Cassidy is working with Trump on yet another Obamacare replacement that would take insurance from millions and cripple coverage for preexisting conditions.”

Baton Rouge Advocate: Feds slash funding for helping consumers get Obamacare — 2 Louisiana nonprofits lose 80 percent
BY TED GRIGGS | TGRIGGS@THEADVOCATE.COM
SEP 15, 2017 – 11:15 AM

The two nonprofits that help Louisiana consumers enroll in Obamacare health plans have had 80 percent of the $1.7 million in funding they receive slashed by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

The Southwest Louisiana Area […]

Read more after the jump.

Mnuchin just exposed Trump’s false promise not to cut taxes for the wealthy 

When meeting with the leadership of both parties in Congress regarding tax reform yesterday, Donald Trump assured the American people that his tax reform legislation would not cut taxes for the wealthy, and would instead prioritize the American middle class.

Donald Trump, 9/13/2017: “And, by the way, lower for individuals — much lower than that for individuals.  And the rich will not be gaining at all with this plan.  We’re looking for the middle class, and we’re looking for jobs.”

Fast forward 24 hours though and Trump’s Treasury Secretary is singing a different tune. Just now, when asked about Trump’s claim that tax reform would not benefit the rich, Secretary  Mnuchin flatly contradicted it by revealing that the legislation would still repeal the estate tax – which is only paid by the wealthiest 0.2 percent of all estates.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, 9/14/2017: “And even if we do […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump’s latest act of ACA sabotage will devastate rural Americans 

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after the Department of Health & Human Services announced that they would cut funding for Affordable Care Act (ACA) navigators by 85%, the most recent way that the Trump Administration has undermined the ACA exchanges ahead of the enrollment period that they themselves have artificially shortened:

“Donald Trump is disingenuously telling Americans that the Affordable Care Act is failing – despite data to the contrary from his own administration – as he tries to force its head under the water, regardless of the consequences for families. This latest attempt at sabotage by Trump with behind-the-back administrative actions will be devastating for people across the country who count on ACA marketplaces for their healthcare – particularly those in rural communities.”

A host of executive actions taken by Trump and his administration have destabilized insurance markets and driven up health case costs for Americans, including an  Read more after the jump.