Politics As Usual
This week, Washington Republicans were presented with a simple choice: keep health care affordable and the government open, or shut down the government and finalize their cuts to the health care system. They chose cuts. They chose higher costs. And ultimately, they chose a shutdown– not only of the government, but of our health care.
NC Speaker of the House Destin Hall and NC Senate leader Phil Berger have got to be the least anxious– or most apathetic– politicians in North Carolina. They are now 87 days past due on passing a full state budget, roughly 3 months late, and have no plans to pass one any time soon.
Republicans in the NCGA still haven’t passed a budget, but they’re taking a break anyway. What could this Republican stalemate mean for you and your family in the coming months?
If there were ever a moment when we needed to talk with our elected officials who are making these decisions, to ask questions, to explain our perspective– it’s now. But unfortunately, many members of Congress are avoiding public forums just as vampires avoid sunlight. According to NPR, out of the 219 House Republicans, just 37 have hosted some kind of town hall during the August recess.
Cooper is uniquely prepared for this moment– a moment when health care is being ripped away from countless people, when costs are rising on the essentials, when things are getting a bit tougher each day for the working class as billionaires continue collecting massive tax breaks. Cooper comes from the working class. He fights for the working class. And he doesn’t just fight– he wins.
The MAGA budget slashes SNAP, the food assistance program that helps feed over 600,000 children in our state. It cuts Medicaid and CHIP, the health insurance programs that serve over 1.4 million NC kids. It even cuts funding for public schools– schools that are struggling to get by.
We’ll cover the impacts on health care, food access, and education very soon. But today, let’s take a look at some of the more subtle provisions hidden in this bill– the concealed cost increases for working families, the bizarre incentives for obscure projects, the billionaire boondoggles that feel like a total waste of money. These provisions are wide-ranging, but you’ll see a common theme: Republicans have prioritized billionaires over everyday people and working families.
Stein prevented three dangerous bills from becoming law: one that would have eliminated concealed carry permitting requirements, and two that would have forced local law enforcement to work closely with federal immigration agents.
Amidst the battle between two of the world’s biggest egos, we don’t want to lose sight of who will truly be bearing the brunt of this 1,100 page bill– you.
There’s a government agency with the sole purpose of advocating for consumers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They aren’t flashy. They don’t have a catchy name. But wow, do they deliver results for everyday people. And President Trump is trying to shutter it completely, calling it a “woke, weaponized” agency. Thom Tillis agrees, claiming that the CFPB is “pushing beyond its regulatory and jurisdictional boundaries.”