Former GOP House Speaker John Boehner said: the Trump presidency has been “a complete disaster”. True especially for middle-working class and rural folks who voted for Trump. For example, Trump’s deceptive job deals.
Last week, Carrier announced that it would begin dismissing 632 Indiana factory workers in July. These well-paying jobs are moving to Mexico. The Mexican minimum wage is $3.90 per day! President-elect Trump had boasted that there was a “100 percent” chance that he would save Carrier jobs. Another exaggerated claim by Trump. Instead Carrier cut a deal with Indiana — $7 million in state tax credits to keep only some jobs in Indiana. It gets worse.
Milwaukee-based Rexnord has laid off 200 factory workers in Indiana, with another 100 more to follow. Adding insult to injury, the U.S. workers trained their Mexican replacements for a Rexnord factory in Mexico. Trump’s tweets didn’t stop this offshoring. There’s more.
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson is opening a motorcycle assembly plant in Thailand. In June, Harley-Davidson will begin laying off over 100 factory workers in York, Pennsylvania. This winter, Trump acting like a fraidy-cat, canceled a visit to Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, to avoid a planned protest. Instead Harley-Davidson executives came to the White House. Trump exclaimed: “We’re proud of you! Made in America, Harley-Davidson.” Phony rhetoric. Offshoring continues. As do other betrayals.
The repeal and so-called replacement of the Affordable Care Act was jammed through the House by GOP Speaker Paul Ryan. Trumpcare had little debate, no committee hearings, no amendments allowed on the floor and most of all, no waiting for the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) “score” (fiscal impact and rise in the uninsured). On Wednesday, the chickens came home to roost.
The CBO released its analysis of Trumpcare: 23 million more uninsured, including millions no longer covered by private insurance, and 14 million fewer by Medicaid; much higher insurance costs for the elderly, sick or those with pre-existing conditions; many would have trouble even buying coverage, particularly in rural areas; and $230 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy. So much for Trump’s lies: “Insurance for everybody”, or “no one will lose coverage” and “no cuts to Medicaid.”
GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said: “I don’t know how we get to 50 (votes for Trumpcare) ….” All the while Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson pretends nothing is amiss. He disingenuously said: “I’m going to try … to make sure we don’t pull the rug out from anybody … .” More bad news.
Last week the Trump budget was released. Its message was clear: drop dead rural-urban folks. It is an evil and monstrous budget: cutting trillions in domestic spending, adding billions for military spending and cutting taxes for the top 1 percent. And, despite Trump’s promise, it cuts Social Security disability benefits. Another broken promise. A budget that asks nothing from the well-heeled, but much sacrifice from middle-working class and rural folks. Even in this GOP-led Congress it is dead. Any wonder why Boehner is happy he is no longer speaker?
— Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C. for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 – 2009.
