Trump’s Bill Only Good for Billionaires

Saturday, July 14th was a hugely consequential day in America.

It was Flag Day. It was also Trump’s 79th birthday. He held a military parade to commemorate the 250 year anniversary of our military. The American taxpayers paid for this parade, which included tanks and heavy equipment, to the tune of around 45 million dollars (depending on how much damage was done by the rolling artillery to the streets of DC and will require repair). Many Americans were okay with the parade, it turns out, because they saw it as a celebration of the military. But it was estimated that only around 10,000 people came to this parade/ birthday-for-Trump celebration. The stands were only sparsely filled. This fell far short of his expectations. Trump looked dejected as he reviewed the troops.

The parade took place after a horrifying early morning assassination of a prominent member of the Minnesota state legislature, Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of another member of that state legislature, John Hoffman and his wife. The shooter, Vance Boelter, has been caught. Boelter had been raised as a Christian and was a registered Republican voter. He had been lured further and further to the political rightwing in his thinking over time. Senator Mike Lee and other Republicans tried to paint him as a left wing extremist, a Marxist, instead of what he is, namely, a radicalized Republican on a mission to exterminate people whose politics he disagreed with. Most of the other 70 people on his handwritten hit list were Democrats and/or pro-abortion.

There were also massive No Kings protests that began earlier that same day which brought out millions of Americans in every state of the union across the country to protest Trump’s efforts to expand his power.

Organizers estimated that over 5 million people (it may have been the largest protest in American history) participated in more than 2,000 planned protests in every state in the nation. The event surpassed the 2017 Women’s March turnout.

There were massive protests in Philadelphia (70,000), New York (50,000), Chicago (75,000), LA (200,000), Seattle (70,000) and hundreds of other locations (as reported by Fox News). The protests were mostly peaceful. Many of the protesters expressed themselves in the streets with song, dance, and signage. There were mariachi bands and Ballet Folklorico dancers joining the resistance in LA. Protesters were blowing bubbles and carrying sign like “Trump’s the Lyin King”, “I’d Like That TACO To Go, Please”, “The only monarch I want is a butterfly”, and “If Melania doesn’t have to live with him, why do we?” Some protesters carried American flags that were upside down- a distress signal originally used by sailors, then used by January 6th insurrectionists, and now being used by anti-Trump protesters.

TRUMP KEEPS TRYING TO BE A KING

Trump has been frustrated by the power of a normal president because in a democracy the president must work with the other branches to get stuff done and he must cede power to the other branches, namely, Congress and the courts. Trump clearly wants to change that equation. He yearns to be the one and only decider-in-chief. He has been openly envious of the unchecked power of autocrats like Kim Jung Un or Putin.

Because Congress is currently controlled by Republicans, Trump’s MO has been to take more power and see if anyone stops him.  This Republicans majority congress has rolled over and played dead. Is he actually getting himself more power by engaging in these power grabs? It’s hard to tell just yet.

For example, Trump sends the military into LA without collaboration or request by the state’s governor and in violation of Posse Comitatus (no US military shall be used against American citizens with a few notable exceptions that were not met in this situation). Then Governor Newsome sues him for doing that. The district court judge writes a compelling 36 page opinion that calls a halt to Trump’s overreach. Only to be thwarted, at least for now, by the appeals court responding to Trump’s appeal by putting the district court judge’s ruling on hold. Tuesday there will be a hearing. We might learn more then, but the whole issue will ultimately need to be resolved by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile Trump is getting his way in LA. For now. The military will be on the streets of LA which is very threatening a populace that has a large number of immigrants.

The normal check and balance for presidential overreach comes from Congress exerting its power over a president who is getting too far out over his skis. The courts are doing what they can to stop Trump’s overreach, but they are too darn slow and no one can predict how the Supreme Court is going to decide these cases that could massively enlarge Trump’s ability to claim the military as an extension of his own power.

THE MIDTERMS COULD START TO LIMIT MAGA POWER

Looking ahead, Trump and Mike Johnson (current Speaker of the House), may well be anticipating that control of Congress could change hands after the midterm elections. This flip often happens in the midterms as Americans who had wished for changes and don’t get what they hoped to get look to the other party to express their dissatisfaction and get what they want.

Given the massive number of protesters who showed up on Saturday to push back against Trump’s power grab, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict that if things continue on as they have been going, more Americans would be likely to vote for Democrats in the midterms as a rebuke to the MAGAs. Will Congress flip red to blue?  The Democratic brand is still toxic with some voters- at least that’s the thinking because the Dems have low approval ratings. But the Dems low approvals might possibly reflect the anger of Democrats that their reps are not fighting hard enough against the MAGAs and Trump, which would not prevent them from voting for Dems in the midterms because to stay home would give Trump and the MAGAs even greater power- the last thing frustrated Dems want to have happen.

Republicans can see the handwriting on the wall. They ain’t stupid.  The energy is on the side of a riled up electorate that wants to put a leash on Trump. To prevent a loss in the midterms, Republicans have been hard at work in state legislatures particularly in battleground states, passing legislation designed to suppress the vote, purge voter rolls and rig the system in other ingenious ways to stay in power. Will that result in a midterm loss for the MAGAs?  We don’t yet know but the potential is there.

Given the potential to lose their control of the House and possibly the Senate, the MAGAs have limited time in which to cement the power of Trump as dictator-in-chief. Mike Johnson and the other MAGAs in the House are rushing to accomplish their goals as fast as possible. That’s one reason they want a great big big huge bill that no one has had the time to read through. They are bum rushing this awful bill out the door.

THE POISON PILLS in TRUMP’S BILL WILL ENRAGE MORE AMERICANS

Trump’s Big Beautiful (Bad) Bill has hidden within it some shocking poison pills that could seriously damage or end our democracy and the lives of at risk Americans including some of those MAGA voters who thought they were voting for a better life with Trump in power. What? you say. How could a budget bill end our democracy and kill off Americans? First, read this phrase buried in the bill and let’s talk on the other side:

“No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued….”

That sounds like gobbledygook, right? Here is the translation in plain English:

Translated: If the BBB passes with this language still in it, federal courts will NOT be able to enforce contempt citations anymore.

What do contempt citations do?

A contempt citation issued means that a party is being accused of violating a court order or engaging in behavior that disrespects or disrupts the court’s proceedings. It’s a formal notice that a party may be found in contempt of court, which can lead to penalties like fines, jail time, or other sanctions. 

If federal courts no longer have the power of contempt of court citations including the power to impose penalties, then those courts would lose their ability of enforcement and accountability. Courts could issue orders to their hearts’ content, but their decisions would be toothless. No one would be afraid to defy those orders. In short, the BBB removes the power of federal courts to punish violators for failing to comply with their orders.

How does the BBB undermine the power of federal courts? 

Courts need appropriated funds to do anything and Congress appropriates money to enable the courts to function.

Hence, with a stroke, the provision removes the ability of our courts to hold officials in contempt of court if and when they defy the courts.

THE END OF RESTRAINT ON TRUMP, his cabinet and his aides

As U.C. Berkeley School of Law Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law Erwin Chemerinsky notes, this provision would eliminate any restraint on Trump.

“Without the contempt power, judicial orders are meaningless and can be ignored. There is no way to understand this except as a way to keep the Trump administration from being restrained when it violates the Constitution or otherwise breaks the law. …

“This would be a stunning restriction on the power of the federal courts. The Supreme Court has long recognized that the contempt power is integral to the authority of the federal courts. Without the ability to enforce judicial orders, they are rendered mere advisory opinions which parties are free to disregard.”

With this single provision, in other words, Trump could become a virtual king. No Congress and no court could effectively stop him.

MEDICAID IN THE DUMPER WILL DAMAGE THE LIVES OF POORER, STRUGGLING AMERICANS

Now let’s talk about Medicaid and the so called big beautiful bill.  If it passes there will be:

• • Funding Cuts:

    The bill proposes substantial cuts to federal Medicaid spending, with estimates ranging from $698 billion to $700 billion over a decade. 
  • Eligibility Changes:

    The bill includes provisions that could make it harder for individuals to enroll in or remain eligible for Medicaid, such as stricter work requirements and changes to how states finance their Medicaid programs. 
  • Coverage Losses:

    The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill would lead to at least 8.6 million Americans losing Medicaid coverage. 
  • Increased Costs:

    The bill’s changes could lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for some individuals and families, including those with ACA marketplace plans, by reducing premium tax credits and potentially increasing deductibles and other expenses.

THE RICH WILL GET EVEN RICHER

Who is this big bill beautiful for?  Duh. The billionaires! Definitely not average Americans or Americans who are struggling.

If this bill passes, it will further enrage Americans who did not vote to end Medicaid, Medicare, the VA, the power of contempt of court, the check and balance system that reins in presidents, and did not vote for tariffs that will increase the cost of living, or the nonstop chaos of this administration.

WHAT NEXT? AMERICANS WILL BE MOTIVATED TO RISE UP EVEN  MORE AGAINST THIS ADMINISTRATION

A lot of people protested in the streets on Saturday and now they might be wondering what to do next to keep up the pressure on this administration.

To begin with, call your members of Congress and tell them not to pass Trump’s Big Ugly Bill.

• • Demand that they preserve the federal courts’ power to enforce their rulings by having the power of contempt of court.
  • Tell your representatives that you don’t buy it that no one will be kicked off of Medicaid- millions will lose their coverage.
  • Tell them you want the knowledge workers in government re-instated and the VA needs to function for the good of the veterans.
  • And you want rich guys and corporations to pay their fair share.

The Capitol Hill switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

Next, get involved with Indivisible, one of the most active national groups that organized the No Kings Protests and plans to keep up the pressure on this administration. If you join Indivisible, you are joining a pro-democracy community of folks who showed up to protest this administration on June 14th. There are a lot of things protesters can do to keep the pressure on this president who still wants to be king. All hands on deck!

https://indivisible.org/