Call to Action: October 20, 2017

Yesterday the Senate passed a budget resolution that Republicans will use to enact so-called tax “reform” that, as Paul Krugman wrote, is based on “Lies, Lies, Lies . . . ”. This budget enriches the wealthy, hurts the middle class, and cuts our healthcare. https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies-lies/

The GOP budget resolution includes their tax plan which:
• Lowers the wealthy’s tax rate while increasing taxes on the poor
• Penalizes those with more than one child
• Targets blue states by eliminating state and local tax deductions
• Creates a new “pass through” rate allowing Trump’s businesses a windfall

This tax plan will balloon the deficit and slow GDP. To compensate, the bill slashes public programs including:

Cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid

Cutting $473 billion from Medicare

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/republicans-propose-slashing-medicaid-to-pay-for-tax-cuts

Under regular procedure, this budget wouldn’t have gotten 60 Senate votes. So, Republicans used reconciliation to pass it – which only needed 51 votes. The same tool was used to try to repeal the ACA.
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-reform-plan-senate-budget-resolution-votes-2017-10

This budget resolution unlocks the reconciliation pathway for wealthy tax breaks and healthcare cuts – all in one bill that needs 50 votes to pass. As with the ACA fight, we must . . .

Get up, stand up to battle this attack on the American people!

Save Medicaid and Medicare!

**ACTION: CALL OUR SENATORS** 
(Leave a message if you can’t get through.)

SAMPLE SCRIPT:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code. I am outraged that the GOP is using the tax and budget process to give the wealthy tax breaks while cutting public programs like Medicaid and Medicare. They are using the same tactics they used in their ACA repeals and hope to pass this with 50 votes. Please use all Senate procedural tools to make sure these cuts don’t happen. You helped save the ACA. We are counting on you to save our health care again. Thanks for all you do.”

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SENATOR MERKLEY 
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/

SENATOR WYDEN 
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/