A Mike Johnson said, Congress is there to enact the President’s agenda. That right there is how the Republicans view their role - not as an independent body, just as an extension of Trump’s will.
The cuts to SNAP and Medicaid are bad enough, but at least understandable in terms of R's complete disregard for the lives of anyone less wealthy than themselves. The energy policy is not understandable at all on any level... it's insane. Why aren't the 'cost-cutter' R's not going after that specific piece?
Jonathan, Thanks for your reporting, commentary and analysis. You've done everything in your power to inform whomever will listen to the multiple atrocities of this power play. The deaf don't here you . The blind can't see it . And the dumb is how we got here in the first place.
Good comments and article. Read poster Teresa McCarthy below,, a researcher on population numbers related to health. Moderate Senators voting yesterday are free today and tomorrow to talk to the House Reps. who are now in their next round of voting.
VOTERS TRUMP THE PRESIDENT. Voter's declining opinions will matter more than the President's threat to have Reps primaried. The "multiplier effects" are showing up in the economy, now through October, three big causes--the gov. layoffs, the tariff damage, and immigrants no longer adding to the economy. People will not be able to sell their houses to find a job elsewhere, when too many are on the market "all at once". That will maybe take the longest to show up in the economy. Milder things are now hitting. One of the Job numbers came out today showed a loss when a rise was expected. OOPS. Wish it wasn't so.
REPS WORRIED. Rest assured, House Reps are VERY AWARE, their campaign managers smart enough NOT to get their poll and economy numbers from Fox News,
(1) The Pres poll numbers are dropping. (Best polls rate things 1 to 5, with 3 neutral. There have been at least three national polls showing pres T's big drop on ALMOST EVERYTHING, not like the prior and less useful polls with just two choices, yes or no, approve or not. He was elected by only 49.5 of voters, NOT a mandate, and has well-below 49.7% giving him the best two grades on five point scales. 40% does not cut it in politics. )
(2) There are signs voters willing to call themselves strongly Republican, when interviewed, has been dropping, with "independent" preferred.
Moderates, independents and swing voters have been disenfranchised by gerrymandering that splits them into tiny bits, outvoted by whatever rigid sets with which they are paired. Pres T wants the Repub-favoring gerrymandering to be re-done now, I think, as he already sees things shifting. Normally, the states wait for the next Census, to be sure new districts are equal in population, multiple lines doing that, which leaves leeway to disenfranchise sets by pairing them with people who will outvote them on everything.
He wants go after already heavily gerrymandered Texas, maybe Ohio, make them worse. Analysts say there are ways that can backfire.
US HOUSE DOING THE BUDGET AGAIN TODAY. A "BACK DOOR" SOLUTION?
In the 1980s, we removed the temporary taxes on extra-high incomes that let us do the expensive Viet Nam war without a deficit. Why not a temporary tax to fix our deficits now?
TEMPORARY, BUT ENOUGH. Tax corporates in proportion to wealth, which has increased immensely since the corporate tax cuts in 2017 and onward. Call it "payback time". Look at rise in stock prices since, say 2021, tax owed in proportion to just that. Big the first year, then small, levied UNTIL Moodys reverses its downgrade, gives us back the Triple A (AAA) rating we still had mid-May? . No need to kick grannies out of nursing homes, kids out of day care, and have teens standing outside high schools with "work for food" signs.
MOODY'S DOWNGRADE, VERY BIG DEAL. Mid-May, Moody's downgraded US debt, the last rating company of the big three, to downgrade us. It had been Triple A, or AAA.
That downgrade raises our rates on interest owed. Not only on our deficit, rate contagion it also percolates over to higher interest rates on our mortgages and credit cards.
It's time for a de facto split of the country. We blue States need to make our own programs for health care, environmental protection, etc. and let the red States become the third world country they so desperately want to be.
I'm starting to think that might be the only option we have left, short of civil war. The northeast from NJ on up (at least....not sure what VA or MD might want to do), Minnesota, and the west coast. A lot of costs are being put back on the states anyway, so time to create a new country, with its own laws and army. The US was always too big anyway.
SOME HUGE NUMBERS. Look up wealth, how it differs from income. Think I saw at Yahoo Finance or CNN, not sure which, a decline of maybe $7 trillion in US stock prices, then a reversal back up, in mere weeks. That's wealth changing in value. It's not the same as annual salaries and wages, but is accumulated untaxed income. Compare that $7T to deficit totals for this budget.
That SEVEN TRILLION FLUX was in MERE WEEKS. Why so huge? The US stock market dropped on the tariff news, plus European and other investors believe that our top tech stocks are over-valued,. The sharp drop began end of Feb. Bottoming around April 7, stock prices then rose back up, fast, through end of June, after the Pres. visit to the Middle East (Saudi deals). (The market went back up, BUT.... The dollar did not, so Europe likely is still staying away from their prior big cap favorites . VoronoiApp.com tracks total value of S&P 500, at $42 Trillion on Jan 9 of 2024, to 54.9 trillion on June 27,aris sf about 17 trillion. The database called FRED at the St Louis Federal Reserve has a chart and much more below the chart, at: Fred.StLouisFed.org/series/SP500)
It was a wealth flux, not an income flux. (No big change down in annual salary, then up. Think of billionaires holding their shares, watching stock prices go up and down. Think of some not using their much smaller salaries when they want cash to buy bigger mansions, another luxury yacht, more resort condos with live-in maid service. It's said holders of generous share grants have been raising UNTAXED CASH on their new shares. How? If they take out loans, shares as collateral,, not only is cash raised, but the loan interest then is tax deductible, from their taxable annual salary income.)
Compare sizes. Stock flux VS Senate's deficit for budget bill passed yesterday.
SEVEN TRILLION stock flux vs. THREE TRILLION, rough size, budget deficit, to be added long-term.
(The deficit is typically summed over ten years forward, to make it look bigger. )
SIDE NOTE- There's huge and unnecessary military add-on that the House can cut.
We want to avoid tossing our grannies out of nursing homes, noted by poster Teresa McCarthy as Medicare/Medicaid financed. Not yet discussed, it's as bad as rural hospitals disappearing.
If only there were an opposition party that could effectively communicate these details to the 92% that are unaware that this bill cuts healthcare coverage. Alas, we have only two parties and they both suck. We are all living in an unending tragicomedy.
Stop blaming both sides. The Democrats all voted against the bill. They did what they could to warn the public about it. They cannot break through to the GOP states & voters dominated by Fox News.
Republicans are great at messaging: they lie like there's no tomorrow and the right wing media lies so much they're paying hundreds of millions for it.
Have you looked? Did you hear Raskin's speech in Philadelphia on No Kings day? Have you heard Ossoff? I am bombarded with e-mail from Democrats. I find their messages effective. The problem is, GOP voters never hear these messages.
So we gutted USAID so that we because we needed the money for Americans. And now we know who those Americans are - the wealthy and large corporations. For those who are most in need of help - they can die too. And if they get angry about their treatment, well that's why you need the funding for federal law enforcement. Order for the comfortable, the law for everyone else.
None of this is just unforeseen consequences. All of it is deliberate.
Republicans have wanted to repeal (and replace with nothing) the Affordable Care Act and having failed in that they have devised a new approach: Simply transform it into the "UAC: Unaffordable Care Act." Illegals will self deport and those using the ACA will choose to opt out. "Hey, it was their choice to go without insurance!"
As the cost of supplemental policies and Part D coverage for traditional Medicare skyrocket more and more Medicare recipients will be driven to the "Medicare Advantage" programs. This means that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid will become a direct money transfer center from the US Treasury into the pockets of the insurance companies who will have the final say on what care gets delivered, to who and for how much. Ever shifting networks and drug formularies will make it one big crap shoot and as we already know the house always wins.
"None of this is just unforeseen consequences. All of it is deliberate." Including making us dependent on other countries for our energy? I wonder if they even READ that part!
This is one of the best articles I have read to date breaking down the Big Ugly Bill and past Republican positions. That said, I can’t give the GOP a pass because the bill changed, to some extent, every minute up to its passage by the Senate. It was very clear from the start in the House that Medicaid would be decimated by an $800 Billion cut and that tax cuts would benefit the wealthiest top 5-10% of households the most. Apart from Tom Tillis, Republicans ignored this and cowered at the prospect of being “primaried” by Donald. Obviously there is so much more in this bill that is abhorrent, but Republicans were NOT fooled by last minute changes. And, might I add, that Murkowski’s attempt to justify her vote by saying she was looking out for her constituents made me sick to my stomach. She could have stood up to Trump and helped ALL American citizens but she shirked her responsibility to the country and took a bribe instead. Her 15 second stare down of the reporter when asked why was telling. She knew she had turned her back on the country and lost her nerve with no legitimate answer.
A Mike Johnson said, Congress is there to enact the President’s agenda. That right there is how the Republicans view their role - not as an independent body, just as an extension of Trump’s will.
The cuts to SNAP and Medicaid are bad enough, but at least understandable in terms of R's complete disregard for the lives of anyone less wealthy than themselves. The energy policy is not understandable at all on any level... it's insane. Why aren't the 'cost-cutter' R's not going after that specific piece?
Jonathan, Thanks for your reporting, commentary and analysis. You've done everything in your power to inform whomever will listen to the multiple atrocities of this power play. The deaf don't here you . The blind can't see it . And the dumb is how we got here in the first place.
I appreciate your voice and explanations on the confusing discussion of health care. Glad to see you writing and on the Bulwark.
Good comments and article. Read poster Teresa McCarthy below,, a researcher on population numbers related to health. Moderate Senators voting yesterday are free today and tomorrow to talk to the House Reps. who are now in their next round of voting.
VOTERS TRUMP THE PRESIDENT. Voter's declining opinions will matter more than the President's threat to have Reps primaried. The "multiplier effects" are showing up in the economy, now through October, three big causes--the gov. layoffs, the tariff damage, and immigrants no longer adding to the economy. People will not be able to sell their houses to find a job elsewhere, when too many are on the market "all at once". That will maybe take the longest to show up in the economy. Milder things are now hitting. One of the Job numbers came out today showed a loss when a rise was expected. OOPS. Wish it wasn't so.
REPS WORRIED. Rest assured, House Reps are VERY AWARE, their campaign managers smart enough NOT to get their poll and economy numbers from Fox News,
(1) The Pres poll numbers are dropping. (Best polls rate things 1 to 5, with 3 neutral. There have been at least three national polls showing pres T's big drop on ALMOST EVERYTHING, not like the prior and less useful polls with just two choices, yes or no, approve or not. He was elected by only 49.5 of voters, NOT a mandate, and has well-below 49.7% giving him the best two grades on five point scales. 40% does not cut it in politics. )
(2) There are signs voters willing to call themselves strongly Republican, when interviewed, has been dropping, with "independent" preferred.
Moderates, independents and swing voters have been disenfranchised by gerrymandering that splits them into tiny bits, outvoted by whatever rigid sets with which they are paired. Pres T wants the Repub-favoring gerrymandering to be re-done now, I think, as he already sees things shifting. Normally, the states wait for the next Census, to be sure new districts are equal in population, multiple lines doing that, which leaves leeway to disenfranchise sets by pairing them with people who will outvote them on everything.
He wants go after already heavily gerrymandered Texas, maybe Ohio, make them worse. Analysts say there are ways that can backfire.
Trump voters, time to fess up to your stupidity. You got what you paid for, a huge shit sandwich. Hope you will grow to like the taste.
US HOUSE DOING THE BUDGET AGAIN TODAY. A "BACK DOOR" SOLUTION?
In the 1980s, we removed the temporary taxes on extra-high incomes that let us do the expensive Viet Nam war without a deficit. Why not a temporary tax to fix our deficits now?
TEMPORARY, BUT ENOUGH. Tax corporates in proportion to wealth, which has increased immensely since the corporate tax cuts in 2017 and onward. Call it "payback time". Look at rise in stock prices since, say 2021, tax owed in proportion to just that. Big the first year, then small, levied UNTIL Moodys reverses its downgrade, gives us back the Triple A (AAA) rating we still had mid-May? . No need to kick grannies out of nursing homes, kids out of day care, and have teens standing outside high schools with "work for food" signs.
MOODY'S DOWNGRADE, VERY BIG DEAL. Mid-May, Moody's downgraded US debt, the last rating company of the big three, to downgrade us. It had been Triple A, or AAA.
That downgrade raises our rates on interest owed. Not only on our deficit, rate contagion it also percolates over to higher interest rates on our mortgages and credit cards.
I thought Don the Con was letting Melanie “obliterate” the rose garden for some heinous gothic setup.
It's time for a de facto split of the country. We blue States need to make our own programs for health care, environmental protection, etc. and let the red States become the third world country they so desperately want to be.
I'm starting to think that might be the only option we have left, short of civil war. The northeast from NJ on up (at least....not sure what VA or MD might want to do), Minnesota, and the west coast. A lot of costs are being put back on the states anyway, so time to create a new country, with its own laws and army. The US was always too big anyway.
SOME HUGE NUMBERS. Look up wealth, how it differs from income. Think I saw at Yahoo Finance or CNN, not sure which, a decline of maybe $7 trillion in US stock prices, then a reversal back up, in mere weeks. That's wealth changing in value. It's not the same as annual salaries and wages, but is accumulated untaxed income. Compare that $7T to deficit totals for this budget.
That SEVEN TRILLION FLUX was in MERE WEEKS. Why so huge? The US stock market dropped on the tariff news, plus European and other investors believe that our top tech stocks are over-valued,. The sharp drop began end of Feb. Bottoming around April 7, stock prices then rose back up, fast, through end of June, after the Pres. visit to the Middle East (Saudi deals). (The market went back up, BUT.... The dollar did not, so Europe likely is still staying away from their prior big cap favorites . VoronoiApp.com tracks total value of S&P 500, at $42 Trillion on Jan 9 of 2024, to 54.9 trillion on June 27,aris sf about 17 trillion. The database called FRED at the St Louis Federal Reserve has a chart and much more below the chart, at: Fred.StLouisFed.org/series/SP500)
It was a wealth flux, not an income flux. (No big change down in annual salary, then up. Think of billionaires holding their shares, watching stock prices go up and down. Think of some not using their much smaller salaries when they want cash to buy bigger mansions, another luxury yacht, more resort condos with live-in maid service. It's said holders of generous share grants have been raising UNTAXED CASH on their new shares. How? If they take out loans, shares as collateral,, not only is cash raised, but the loan interest then is tax deductible, from their taxable annual salary income.)
Compare sizes. Stock flux VS Senate's deficit for budget bill passed yesterday.
SEVEN TRILLION stock flux vs. THREE TRILLION, rough size, budget deficit, to be added long-term.
(The deficit is typically summed over ten years forward, to make it look bigger. )
SIDE NOTE- There's huge and unnecessary military add-on that the House can cut.
We want to avoid tossing our grannies out of nursing homes, noted by poster Teresa McCarthy as Medicare/Medicaid financed. Not yet discussed, it's as bad as rural hospitals disappearing.
If only there were an opposition party that could effectively communicate these details to the 92% that are unaware that this bill cuts healthcare coverage. Alas, we have only two parties and they both suck. We are all living in an unending tragicomedy.
Stop blaming both sides. The Democrats all voted against the bill. They did what they could to warn the public about it. They cannot break through to the GOP states & voters dominated by Fox News.
Then where is effective messaging from the Dems? I have seen little.
Republicans are great at messaging: they lie like there's no tomorrow and the right wing media lies so much they're paying hundreds of millions for it.
Have you looked? Did you hear Raskin's speech in Philadelphia on No Kings day? Have you heard Ossoff? I am bombarded with e-mail from Democrats. I find their messages effective. The problem is, GOP voters never hear these messages.
Maybe the D's need to put up billboards or something...
So we gutted USAID so that we because we needed the money for Americans. And now we know who those Americans are - the wealthy and large corporations. For those who are most in need of help - they can die too. And if they get angry about their treatment, well that's why you need the funding for federal law enforcement. Order for the comfortable, the law for everyone else.
This bill funds the massive police force they are building to put down any uprising.
None of this is just unforeseen consequences. All of it is deliberate.
Republicans have wanted to repeal (and replace with nothing) the Affordable Care Act and having failed in that they have devised a new approach: Simply transform it into the "UAC: Unaffordable Care Act." Illegals will self deport and those using the ACA will choose to opt out. "Hey, it was their choice to go without insurance!"
As the cost of supplemental policies and Part D coverage for traditional Medicare skyrocket more and more Medicare recipients will be driven to the "Medicare Advantage" programs. This means that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid will become a direct money transfer center from the US Treasury into the pockets of the insurance companies who will have the final say on what care gets delivered, to who and for how much. Ever shifting networks and drug formularies will make it one big crap shoot and as we already know the house always wins.
"None of this is just unforeseen consequences. All of it is deliberate." Including making us dependent on other countries for our energy? I wonder if they even READ that part!
Let them eat cake.
This is one of the best articles I have read to date breaking down the Big Ugly Bill and past Republican positions. That said, I can’t give the GOP a pass because the bill changed, to some extent, every minute up to its passage by the Senate. It was very clear from the start in the House that Medicaid would be decimated by an $800 Billion cut and that tax cuts would benefit the wealthiest top 5-10% of households the most. Apart from Tom Tillis, Republicans ignored this and cowered at the prospect of being “primaried” by Donald. Obviously there is so much more in this bill that is abhorrent, but Republicans were NOT fooled by last minute changes. And, might I add, that Murkowski’s attempt to justify her vote by saying she was looking out for her constituents made me sick to my stomach. She could have stood up to Trump and helped ALL American citizens but she shirked her responsibility to the country and took a bribe instead. Her 15 second stare down of the reporter when asked why was telling. She knew she had turned her back on the country and lost her nerve with no legitimate answer.