#11: It Matters What Legislative Proposals Say and Seek to Do

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In all the back and forth on who’s voting for what, and who is being investigated and who is being criticized, it would be easy to forget that there is an underlying, deeply consequential debate that has stretched over the decades. What will we do with and for each other through our government? What problems will we recognize as appropriate for joint, intensive action? What policies will we select to confront them?

It might be even easier today to forget the idea that government has underlying policies because it isn’t how Donald Trump thinks about things. From the time he announced a month or so before the American Health Care Act failed that he and Congress would replace “Obamacare” with something better and cheaper that would cover just as many people or even more people, he never had a chance of fulfilling that pledge. He did not necessarily understand the interconnecting parts of the law which would guarantee that his promise was empty, and it is not so clear that he wants to understand such things. Winning is everything. What there is that should be won is a lesser consideration.

In the end, he lost the health care battle (at least for now) because he did not care very much about what Speaker Ryan’s proposal contained. Commentators seemed surprised that Trump didn’t end up seeking to attend to people he promised to help during his campaign rallies. This misses the point. He does not see his role as sorting out what a legislative proposal will or will not do, and seeking to improve it. He is an incurious person. If the American Health Care Act had ended up responding directly to the needs of an unemployed Pennsylvania factory worker, it would have happened by accident.

The new health care “compromise” now being floated by the White House takes indifference to a new, even more creative level. They want to be able to say they are lowering premiums in insurance offered on exchanges. They are angling to get there by allowing states to individually redefine necessary coverage, giving them the option of jettisoning maternity care, mental health, and emergency room services. Let’s be relentless on this, and make Congress and the White House go back to the fundamental needs of people who are in need. In two minutes on the House floor, Representative John Lewis said it all. 

From the Homestead Act to the New Deal to Medicare, Food Stamps and the Civil Rights Act of 1963, opportunity and justice in our nation have been shaped by the policy choices our representatives have made for our government. This cannot and will not change, and seeking to provide health care for all is just one more major step along the path. We are heartened not by the Freedom Caucus blocking the bill, but that the concessions to the Freedom Caucus resulted in “moderate Republicans” walking away because they could no longer live with the substance of the bill and the policies it espoused.

What legislative proposals actually say and seek to do matters. The 2018 Congressional elections are not so far away, Republicans will either vote against defective proposals, or they will vote for such proposals and be held accountable by voters. It is a stroke of good fortune for the resistance that the next major policy issue will be tax reform. It is being touted as a much simpler issue than repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, but it isn’t. Moreover, the fundamental question the American media will ask about each tax reform proposal is who it is geared to help. Donald Trump’s initial position on necessary tax law changes would result in an enormous transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich. Let that battle be joined!

Here are three things we can all do, now:

1)Take on Tax Reform as a Major Obsession
	The concentration of wealth in the hands of a small percentage of Americans is one of the defining issues of our time. Why would we want “tax reform” to exacerbate this existing, already nearly intractable problem? The tax reform proposals put forth by Republican leaders (including Donald Trump during the campaign) are “reverse Robin Hood” proposals - they take from people with less money, and give to people with more money. Proposals that comfort the comfortable have become such a fundamental part of Republican orthodoxy that they are presented without embarrassment. For reasons having to do with Senate procedures and spending rules, Republicans are hampered in executing their broader version of tax reform by their failure to pass their health care bill, which would have eliminated nearly a trillion dollars of taxes over the next ten years. However, even a stripped down bill will include these provisions that will widen wealth disparities: A reduction in corporate income taxes, which is not such an outlandish idea, since it could bring billions in corporate capital back home from international banks. Though not outlandish, this could still turn out badly. The issue is how to do it in a way that stimulates investment and avoids an increase in the tax burden of the middle class. Elimination of the federal estate tax, which has been reduced markedly over the years. Repeal would enable the tax-free transfer of billion dollar estates. Elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax, which keeps high income taxpayers from wiping out their tax liability with deductions. $30 million in taxes that Trump paid in 2005 were due to the Alternative Minimum Tax. Its levels may need readjustment, but without it, the tax participation of America’s multi-millionaires and billionaires would fall precipitously. In addition, the Trump approach could well include a tax on imports which is part of his punitive approach toward Mexico. The first thing and paramount thing we all need to do is argue that distribution of taxes among income classes is the single most important tax reform issue. As proposals are developed and debated, the unacceptability of further nest-feathering for people who already have the greatest assets must be constantly underscored. As advocates, we must be relentless in our attention to the narrative of tax equity. Let’s give fresh attention to our own representatives on these matters. If you have a member of Congress who you think is already sympathetic, call or write anyway, because this situation will end up being more fluid than health care has been. That is, there may be some elements of a new proposal that House leadership will ultimately put together that are appealing to some Democrats. Make sure your member of Congress knows how you feel about the basics. Check out to see if someone from your state is a member of one of the two tax writing committees, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. We have been having some success in these missives in bypassing the elected official and contacting her or his legislative director. If you are game, go into their office directory and give that a try. And, to top it all off, do your part in supporting equity by backing a state minimum wage campaign.
2) Choose a Congressional Campaign if You Haven’t Already Done So
	Right after Donald Trump was elected, it didn’t seem likely that Democrats would take back the House of Representatives in 2018. Now, as independents desert Trump, the chances have significantly improved. Past missives #4 and #8 have identified especially attractive races as we seek to win 24 seats. As you identify a targeted race near you and choose where to put your energies, focus also on two special elections in 2017 where there is at least a chance of taking back a seat. Send our candidates a check! In Georgia’s 6th district, the candidate is Jon Ossoff, seeking to fill the seat of Tom Price, who was named HHS Secretary. This is very promising, with the first round of voting on April 18. A somewhat longer shot in Montana in May is Rob Quist, who is the Democratic candidate to replace Ryan Zinke, who became Interior Secretary.
3) Learn About New Directions for Workers Whose Jobs Aren’t There
	Dynamic economies create and lose jobs constantly, and there is no place that job loss is more predictable than in the mining of coal. Donald Trump’s executive order is built around a nest of untruths. News of the week revealed that the small mining companies themselves are turning to green energy, looking at the costs of coal mining relative to the return, and increasing their investment in natural gas because its lower prices are winning over markets. Nonetheless, the 70,000 jobs that remain are not just any jobs. They are concentrated in communities that have too few jobs in the first place. They pay enough money to support a family, and they are available to workers with a high school education. We would be very happy to have more “family wage” jobs at all educational levels in this country. There aren’t a lot of new paths for a 58 year old coal miner whose industry is faltering. But our country can do better at providing education and career and technical training to younger and middle aged workers, often carried about with excellence by Community and Technical Colleges. Check out the retraining systems in your state and see if under-employed or displaced workers are being provided new opportunities to participate in the changing economy.

What is around the corner that we can work toward? How can we maintain intensity of effort? When will there be a time that we can read and watch the news without daily dismay? It is a long time until the next Presidential election. But it is not a long time until November 6, 2018, the day we can take back the House of Representatives and put on the brakes.

With Trump’s approval rating under 40%, capturing the 24 seats we need is entirely doable. But it is now when we find good candidates, organize, coalesce, learn, raise money, and register voters. Act on the possibilities, and prepare to have a big smile on your face on Wednesday, November 7, 2018.

David Harrison
Bainbridge Island, Washington