CHILLING!
We must stop this madness - Molly
The
Republican-led Congress is wasting no time forcing through the most horrendous
bills seen in decades while America’s eyes are on Russia.
With
both houses of Congress solidly under Republican control, there’s little in the
way to stop House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) and Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) from sending bills to President Trump’s desk that
embody the most dangerous aspects of radical right-wing ideology.
However
unlikely these bills’ passage would have seemed in the 114th Congress, the
possibility of these nine bills becoming law is much higher now, especially
considering the flurry of headlines around Donald Trump’s ties to Russia,
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal on
the ongoing investigation into the president’s Russian connections, and Russian
ambassador Sergey Kislyak’s multiple meetings with several of Trump’s top
lieutenants.
Here
are the nine worst bills to keep an eye on:
1. H.R. 861: To
terminate the Environmental Protection Agency
This
bill — cosponsored by Republican members of Congress from fossil fuel-producing
states — is just one sentence long, and says nothing about what would happen to
the multiple environmental regulations the EPA has instituted since 1970, or
its multibillion-dollar budget, or its thousands of staffers. H.R. 861 is currently awaiting action in
the subcommittee on environment.
2. H.R. 610: Tax
dollars for private schools
Rep.
Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced this bill in January, which would redistribute
funding earmarked for public schools in the form of vouchers for parents to
send children to private schools. Over the long term, this would eventually
bankrupt public schools, and create a stratified education system in
which cash-strapped public schools would be unable to meet the educational
needs of low-income students. The bill is awaiting action in the House
Committee on Education and the Workforce.
3. H.R. 899: To
terminate the Department of Education
If this
bill, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), becomes law, the U.S.
Department of Education would terminate by the end of 2018. The bill’s brevity
leaves many questions unanswered, like what would happen with Department of
Education grants for public schools and universities, its budget, or its staff.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said she would personally be “fine” if the
agency she heads were to be abolished.
4. H.J.R. 69: To repeal
a rule protecting wildlife
Rep.
Don Young (R-Alaska), whose constituents likely include hunters who kill
wildlife for sport rather than for food, introduced this joint resolution
voicing displeasure with a Department of Interior rule that prohibits “non-subsistence”
hunting in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. The resolution passed the House and is awaiting action in the
Senate.
5. H.R. 370: To
repeal the Affordable Care Act
While
President Obama was in office, House Republicans voted at least 60 times to
repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare
— despite its futility. However, the Trump administration has made the repeal
of Obamacare a top priority, meaning the repeal bill from Rep. Bill Flores
(R-Texas) is likely to pass.
6. H.R. 354: To
defund Planned Parenthood
Despite
the widely publicized debunking of the video alleging the women’s health
nonprofit was selling human organs, Republicans are still refusing to stop
destroying Planned Parenthood. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee) introduced a bill
that would prevent any federal grants from going to Planned Parenthood for a
full year unless they swore to not perform abortions. As the chart below from
Planned Parenthood shows, only 3 percent of
Planned Parenthood resources go toward abortions, while the vast majority of
funding is used to help low-income women get STD tests, contraceptive care, and
breast cancer screenings.
Please continue this article here: http://resistancereport.com/politics/gop-bills-congress/
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