Republican leaders in Congress are racing to recklessly repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as quickly as possible, regardless of how many Americans they will harm in the process. However, many Republicans in the Senate are publicly expressing deep concern over the rush to repeal the ACA without having a replacement plan ready and the GOP proposal to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood in their ACA repeal legislation.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “I think what we need to focus on first is what would we replace it with and what are the steps that it would take to do that?”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "Once you say that everybody should be covered, can't be denied coverage because they are sick – which most Americans would agree with that – you put yourself in a box. Insurance is about young people who are healthy buying insurance like you all to pay for me and him. If you don't have to buy insurance until you get sick, most people won't. That's where the mandate becomes important. Somebody's got to work through this problem. If we're going to accept the proposition that you can never be denied coverage because you've been sick, then somebody's got to create a system where people participate."
Senator Moore Capito (R-WV): "I'm from a state that has an expanded Medicaid population that I am very concerned about. I don't want to throw them off into the cold, and I don't think that's a strategy that I want to see. It's too many people. That's over 200,000 people in my state.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR): “I don’t think we can just repeal ObamaCare and say ‘we’re going to get the answer two years from now.’ Look, this is a very complicated problem. We haven’t coalesced around a solution for six years in part because it is so complicated. Kicking the can down the road for a year or two years is not going to make it any easier to solve.”
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA): “Cassidy pointed out that Trump in his post-election interview on 60 Minutes said that he thinks that bill should be repealed and replaced simultaneously. ‘I assume those are marching orders from the administration.’”
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY): “I just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and he fully supports my plan to replace Obamacare the same day we repeal it. The time to act is now.”
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN): "I think the president-elect’s position is the right position. During the campaign he said that repeal and replace should take place simultaneously. That to me is the prudent course of action.”
As the 115th Congress gavels in, Congressional Republicans have made it clear that they plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as quickly as possible, regardless of how many working families they hurt in the process. Research and reports released recently highlight how the ACA has benefited millions of Americans, and the risk posed by the Republicans’ reckless plans to repeal the ACA.
A recent report from the Commonwealth Fund found the ACA drove down the uninsured rates in every state and by at least three percentage points in 48 states and the District of Columbia from 2013-2015. As a result of the expansion of health coverage, the report found that less Americans were skipping trips to the doctor because of cost.
A study released from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that if the ACA were repealed, 52 million Americans would be at risk of being denied coverage for having pre-existing conditions.
A study released by the Urban Institute showed that if the ACA is repealed without any replacement plan, 30 million Americans would lose their health coverage due to the loss of premium tax credits, Medicaid expansion and the individual mandate, and others would lose coverage through the collapse of the individual insurance market. The study also found that repeal of the ACA without a replacement would actually lead to a higher uninsured rate than before the ACA was passed in 2010.
An analysis from the Tax Policy Center found that the top 1 percent of earners would get, on average, a $33,000 tax cut from a repeal of the ACA. Some people would be hit with a significant tax increase, due to losing tax subsidies that have helped many Americans afford health insurance.
A recent analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that repealing the ACA in its entirety would cost roughly $350 billion over the course of the next 10 years.
Enacted New Laws to Support and Empower Children, Students and Seniors
Every Student Succeeds Act – replaced the No Child Left Behind Act and reformed pre K-12 education by targeting resources to schools that need it most.
Older Americans Reauthorization Act of 2015 – reauthorized the Older Americans Act and helps older Americans live in dignity and stay connected to their communities.
Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2015 – extended the Federal Perkins Loan program for two years.
Infant Plan of Safe Care and Improvement Act – ensured that states are meeting current child welfare requirements, particularly protections for infants born with opioid exposure.
Passed Legislation to Expand Opportunity for All and Make it Easier to Access, Afford and Complete College
Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act – reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act to help state and local leaders better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders.
Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act - helps more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, in-demand jobs.
Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act – reforms the federal student aid process to help students make timely financial decisions about their education and better prepare for college.
Accessing Higher Education Opportunities Act – helps students at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) pursue doctoral degrees in health care professions.
Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act - promotes financial literacy by enhancing the timing, frequency, and content of counseling for all recipients of federal financial aid.
HBCU Capital Financing Improvement Act – improves access to and oversight of a program that enables HBCUs to improve their campuses to better serve their students.
Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act- helps students gain access to the facts they need to make an informed decision about where to pursue their education.
Introduced Real Solutions to Grow the Economy and Protect Workers
Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2015- expands and improves early learning opportunities for children across the birth-to-age-five continuum.
Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2016 - expands opportunities for at-risk youth by putting more than 1 million young people to work and supporting community efforts to keep youth connected to school and training.
America's College Promise Act of 2015-makes two years of community college free and provides an affordable pathway to a four-year college degree at a college or university, including MSIs and HBCUs.
Stronger Together School Diversity Act of 2016 - supports the development and expansion of new and existing community-driven strategies to increase diversity in America’s schools.
Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act – empowers parents and communities to address – through robust enforcement – racial inequities in public education.
Raise The Wage - raises the minimum wage to $12 over the next five years and will index it to median wage growth.
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy (WAGE) Act - amends the National Labor Relations Act to strengthen protections for workers who want to organize and promote change through forming a union or other collective action.
Working Families Resolution - a set of 10 bills supported by 118 Democrats, which would boost wages, help workers balance work and family life, and level the playing field.
Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act – makes mines safer, and holds irresponsible mine operators accountable by expanding the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s authority.
50 Congressional Democrats filed an amicus brief opposing the District Court ruling that would maintain the outdated exclusion of home care workers from basic worker protections like minimum wage and overtime.
Ranking Member Scott submitted an amicus curiae brief in the Zubik v. Burwell case before the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to reject the Religious Freedom Restoration Act’s application to allow religious beliefs to usurp Americans’ civil rights protections, which, in the case before the Court, would have the immediate effect of curtailing the rights of female employees.
Fought to protect child nutrition standards for school meals, and halt efforts to deny children healthy meals.
Identified ways to create more supportive school environments for young girls of color, and strategies to motivate school leaders and districts to equally enforce discipline policies when necessary.
Defended multiple Department of Labor proposals designed to help working families from countless partisan attacks. These are commonsense proposals that benefit working families by boosting wages, helping retirees protect their savings, giving workers a voice, and protecting workers from health hazards or discrimination.
Held businesses accountable for fostering inclusive workplaces with employees that reflect the diversity of America, particularly in STEM fields and at high-tech companies.
More than 70 years ago, Congress recognized that feeding hungry children was not only a moral imperative, but also a federal responsibility, vital to the health and security of our nation. This month marks the six-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), the most recent reauthorization of federal school meal and child nutrition programs. The HHFKA not only upholds the original intent of the National School Lunch Act, but expanded upon it.
Innumerable studies have shown that healthier school meals have a positive impact on students’ academic performance, behavioral outcomes, and long-term health. Although not commonly thought of as a civil rights issue, in many ways, child nutrition programs are just that because they aim to ensure every child is given the opportunity to access an equal education. Healthy foods that fuel students' bodies and minds are essential to that education. The HHFKA was enacted to ensure all of our nation’s children have access to healthy food while they are in school and it has worked to educate children about making healthy food choices.
Congress is past due for a reauthorization of the child nutrition programs, and we know many aspects of the HHFKA were very successful. Data from 2015 showed the lowest figures on record for children that are food insecure, which is very welcome news. Yet despite these great gains, too many children still aren’t getting the food they need. We must build on the progress of the HHFKA for America’s families to ensure no child goes hungry.
Earlier this year, Committee Republicans put forward a child nutrition reauthorization bill that contained many harmful provisions and would have made it more difficult for low-income schools to feed their students. The Republican-backed bill would have rolled back the evidence-based nutrition standards put in place under the HHFKA. It would have also eroded the Community Eligibility Provision which currently provides free, nutritious meals to 8.5 million low-income children in 18,000 schools and eliminates burdensome application requirements for districts, schools, and families. Thankfully, this harmful bill did not move beyond the Committee. As we observe the anniversary of the HHFKA and we look forward to a new Administration and a new Congress, Committee Democrats reaffirm their commitment to a child nutrition reauthorization that will improve access to healthy foods in schools and other settings, and maintain robust nutrition standards in federal nutrition programs.
“President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selection of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education has sent shock waves through the educational establishment. Understandably so, since this is a clear sign that Mr. Trump intends a major national push to direct public funds to private and charter schools. But this is more than just a political or financial loss for traditional public schools. It will also most likely be a loss for students…The choice of Ms. DeVos might not seem surprising. Mr. Trump has, after all, proposed $20 billion to finance “school choice” initiatives and Ms. DeVos supports these ideas. Yet of all the candidates the transition team was apparently considering, Ms. DeVos has easily the worst record.”
“Advocates of public education in the United States worried that President-elect Donald Trump would tap an education secretary who would speed up the privatization of public schools, a move that many fear could destroy America’s public education system, the country’s most important civic institution. Well, they were right about the appointment — and then some…opponents say [DeVos] is the most ideological and anti-public education nominee ever to be put forward to run the the nearly 40-year-old department. They fear that Trump, along with DeVos, will push “choice” programs that many see as draining resources from the traditional public school districts that educate most American schoolchildren.”
“Betsy DeVos, the right-wing billionaire school choice advocate tapped today by President-elect Donald Trump to run the U.S. Education Department, is definitely good at some things. Arguably, she's displayed great skill in practicing the dark arts of big-money politics, using her family's vast Amway forture to woo state legislatures through lobbying and obscure political-action committees and impose a vast empire of charter schools from Michigan to Louisiana…Her biggest failure, though, is a pretty huge one: Failing to do a damn thing to educate America's children, especially in the nation's poorest zip codes.”
“Educators in Michigan have long known Betsy DeVos as a proponent of school choice and vouchers, something they worry could hurt public schools nationally as she takes the position of Secretary of Education under President-elect Donald Trump.”
“[DeVos] and her husband have funded a series of efforts to turn public school funding into vouchers for students to attend private schools. They have also fought to prevent charter schools, including for-profit charter schools, from being more tightly regulated. The DeVos appointment signals that Trump is serious about the $20 billion school voucher plan he rolled out on the campaign trail. “
“Michigan serves as one of the most prominent examples of what aggressive DeVos-style school choice policies look like on the ground, especially when it comes to the expansion of charter schools. About 80 percent of state charter schools are run by for-profit management companies, a much higher share than anywhere else in the country, and with very little oversight from the state. And this year, the DeVoses were the biggest financial backers of the effort to oppose any new state oversight of charters.”
“The DeVos family has a long history of supporting groups that espouse anti-gay rights views. DeVos and her husband have given hundreds of thousands to Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group whose founder called the battle against LGBT rights a ‘second civil war,’ according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group has also pushed so-called ‘conversion therapy’ — discredited practices aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation”
“But how have traditional civil rights advocacy groups involved in education and others responded to Trump's nomination of DeVos? Several of them expressed concern about how school choice by itself does not address inequities and discrimination faced by minority and other communities. In fact, a few worried that school choice programs often undercut protections for students.”
“What we do know, though, is that having a pro-voucher secretary of education with zero public school experience is a recipe for shunting our tax dollars away from an education putatively free of religious bias and straight into classrooms where science in any conventionally recognizable form is not allowed.”
“DeVos played a key role in pushing a 2000 ballot proposal to create a school voucher system for Michigan students. She served as a Republican National Committeewoman in the 1990s, and chaired the Michigan Republican Party from 1994 to 2000 and again from 2003 to 2005. A billionaire powerbroker, DeVos has been a huge donor to and fundraiser for the Republican Party. A 2014 Mother Jones profile on the DeVos family referred to them as ‘the new Kochs.’”
“It would be hard to find a better representative of the ‘donor class’ than DeVos, whose family has been allied with Charles and David Koch for years. Betsy, her husband Richard, Jr. (Dick), and her father-in-law, Richard, Sr., whose fortune was estimated by Forbes to be worth $5.1 billion, have turned up repeatedly on lists of attendees at the Kochs’ donor summits, and as contributors to the brothers’ political ventures.”
