GRAND RAPIDS — With President Trump set to hold a campaign rally in Grand Rapids tonight, the Michigan Democratic Party is highlighting his failed record of standing up for Michigan.
“The 2020 election will be about who is standing up for families across our state, and President Trump’s record clearly shows he’s no friend to Michigan,” said Lavora Barnes, Michigan Democratic Party Chair. “If Trump got his way, critical funding would be eliminated for the Great Lakes which is essential to our way of life and economy, millions of Michiganders would pay more for healthcare, and those with pre-existing medical conditions could be denied coverage by insurance companies. And no matter what credit Trump tries to take for any automaker investments in Michigan, he cannot change the fact that he opposed the auto rescue and his failed economic policies have only created uncertainty for the future of the industry and the manufacturing jobs that depend on it.”
Background:
Trump Proposes Gutting Great Lakes Funding Three Straight Years
Trump Supported The Elimination Of Great Lakes Funding, As Well As Massive 90% Cuts, Which Put At Risk Toxic Cleanup, Restoration And Invasive Species Projects.“ President Donald Trump hasn’t budged on his decision to eliminate Great Lakes restoration funding as part of enormous budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency proposed for 2018 despite widespread bipartisan opposition to the program cut in the region.”[Detroit News, 3/11/19; M-Live, 2/13/18; M-Live, 5/23/17]
Trump Pushes to Take Away Health Care Coverage, Raise Health Care Costs, and End Protections for Millions of Michiganders
In March 2019, Trump Fights to End Health Care Law, Jeopardizing Protections For 4 Million Michiganders Who Have Pre-Existing Conditions And Putting at Risk Health Coverage for 690,000 Michiganders That Have Care Through The Healthy Michigan Program — Established by the Previous Republican Governor and Legislature. “The Trump administration broadened its attack on the Affordable Care Act on Monday, telling a federal appeals court that it now believed the entire law should be invalidated. The administration had previously said that the law’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions should be struck down, but that the rest of the law, including the expansion of Medicaid, should survive. If the appeals court accepts the Trump administration’s new arguments, millions of people could lose health insurance, including those who gained coverage through the expansion of Medicaid and those who have private coverage subsidized by the federal government.” [New York Times, 3/25/19; Center for American Progress, 4/5/17; Michigan.gov, accessed 3/25/19]
Trump “Approved” The Department Of Justice’s Participation With The Plaintiffs Of A Lawsuit That, If Successful, “Would End Affordable Care Act Protections For Those With Preexisting Conditions.” “The Department of Justice is siding with plaintiffs in a lawsuit that it said, if successful, would end Affordable Care Act protections for those with preexisting conditions. Yet, President Donald Trump claimed that ‘preexisting conditions are safe’ and that he ‘will always fight for…patients with preexisting conditions.’ […] Trump’s comments contradict the Justice Department’s actions, which Trump approved, according to a June letter from the Justice Department to Congress on this lawsuit.” [FactCheck.org, 10/2/18]
Trump’s 2019 Budget Proposed Cutting Health Care For 689,576 Michiganders Participating In Medicaid Expansion. “This year’s budget blueprint from President Trump is no exception. Here’s a brief look at a few of his proposals for Medicare and Medicaid. His plan would: […] Reduce Medicaid spending by nearly $1.5 trillion over the next decade. It would eliminate the extra Medicaid funding for states that expanded their programs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). About 15 million more Americans have joined Medicaid since the ACA expansion was enacted.” [AARP, 3/12/19; Michigan.gov, accessed 3/25/19; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/8/18]
Trump Opposed the Auto Rescue and Has Created Incredible Uncertainty for the Auto Industry
The Trump Administration Has Threatened to Impose Auto Tariffs and “Uncertainty is Kryptonite” to the Auto Industry. “The Trump administration dealt automakers a wild card by reportedly deciding not to reveal the Commerce Department’s recommendations on whether to apply new tariffs on imported vehicles and components. Uncertainty is Kryptonite to the auto industry, which routinely invests tens of billions of dollars in projects that can take a decade or more to pay off. At issue is the potential for broad U.S. import tariffs and trade restrictions that could cost 366,000 jobs — nearly 100 times what’s at stake in GM’s controversial plant closings. The tariffs and trade restrictions also could increase average vehicle cost by $2,750 and reduce U.S. sales by 1.3 million vehicles a year, according to a new study by the Center for Automotive Research. [Detroit Free Press, 2/18/19]
The Detroit News Editorial Board Said “By The Fall Of 2008, A Managed Bankruptcy Was No Longer An Option For GM And Chrysler,” And Loans Allowed The Industry “To Survive The Darkest Hour Of Its History.”“‘Instead of a bailout, I favored ‘managed bankruptcy’ as a way forward,’ Romney wrote Tuesday. But by the fall of 2008, a managed bankruptcy was no longer an option for GM and Chrysler. With the credit markets crashing and their coffers empty, neither automaker could raise the cash to keep operating through a traditional bankruptcy. That’s why their executives went hats in hand to Washington, pleading for a loan. […] But on the key question of whether the automakers could have managed themselves through a traditional bankruptcy without assistance from the government, Romney is wrong. The loans provided by Bush and then by Obama allowed the domestic auto industry to survive the darkest hour of its history and return to thriving operations today.” [Detroit News, Editorial, 2/15/12]
In December 2008, Trump Attacked The Auto Rescue And Said “Bankruptcy Is Not The Worst Thing.” Trump: “So, you have to do it. You just can’t just throw the money at the auto companies. You have to get concessions, whether it is in bankruptcy or not in bankruptcy. And bankruptcy is not the worst thing. You would make a much better deal if they threw it into a chapter and they did DIP financing.“ [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 12/17/08]
In August 2015, Trump Said “You Would Have Ended Up Ultimately In The Same Place” Whether Or Not The U.S. Stepped In To Rescue The Auto Industry. “When asked about the bailout before a Birch Run rally in August 2015, the New York real estate developer said the two automakers could have survived through a normal bankruptcy or the government-expedited filing. ‘You could have let it go bankrupt, frankly, and rebuilt itself,’ Trump said. ‘And a lot of people think that is the way it should have happened. Or you could have done it the way it went. I could have done it either way. Either way would have been acceptable. I think you would have ended up ultimately in the same place.’” [Detroit News, 11/6/16]
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