In just five short days, Trump has threatened to take away jobs and make health care more expensive, all while pardoning violent insurrectionists
LANSING — Since Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Donald Trump has threatened to place tariffs that will devastate Michigan’s auto industry and send prices for everyday goods skyrocketing, rolled back plans to lower the cost of prescriptions, stopped funding for infrastructure projects and put their high-paying union jobs at risk, and attacked the Affordable Care Act. Somehow, in all that, he still wasn’t too busy to pardon the Jan 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol and attacked law enforcement.
In less than a full week of being president, Donald Trump has once again made it clear that he doesn’t care about workers and their families. He has no plans to follow through on hundreds of promises from the campaign — and Michiganders deserve better.
Take a quick look at Trump’s first week:
Instead of working to lower costs for Michiganders, Trump will likely take action to raise prices on goods while destroying high-paying auto manufacturing jobs. With Michiganders getting so many goods from neighboring Canada, paying an extra 25% on every single thing imported will crush working families already struggling to make ends meet:
Detroit Free Press: Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada will wreck Michigan economy | Opinion
- If the cost of bringing goods across the border soars, it’s going to mean more than higher prices. When goods stop being affordable, people will stop buying them…
- Who will hurt if this happens? Everyone.
CBS Detroit: Michigan auto expert speaks on potential impact of tariffs on car prices
- “Every single automaker builds cars and components overseas. Even if they make cars in the U.S., Ford imports a lot of vehicles and components, so the price of all that it would go up significantly,” said John McElroy with Autotune…
- “You know, the estimate is based on what Trump is talking about right now, the prices of all vehicles would go up by $3,000, and you know, it’s a pretty common rule of economics as you raise prices, sales will go down,” McElroy said.
WILX: Michigan could lose millions of federal dollars under executive order
- The new policy has also brought uncertainty surrounding about $230 million in federal grants that were to be used for EV projects across the state. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) was going to use about $77 million to install EV charging stations near highways…
- Experts also believe Trump may sign another executive order ending a program that gave drivers who qualify a $7,500 tax credit for purchasing an EV.
If anyone thought that Trump would stop at raising prices — they were wrong! In addition to jacking up the cost of living, Trump is endangering crucial manufacturing and infrastructure jobs as he brings projects across the country to a grinding halt. He doesn’t care that those projects are rebuilding America’s roads, investing in our infrastructure, and feeding families, he only cares about pushing through his reckless agenda:
POLITICO: Trump kicks off potentially messy fight over Biden’s infrastructure money
- An executive order by President Donald Trump requiring agencies to stop paying money for two mammoth Biden-era laws could bring a wide range of infrastructure, transportation and energy projects to a halt — including those already delivering jobs…
- That wording could imperil billions of dollars in funding for projects that states have already begun working on, some lawmakers and policy experts said Tuesday, for everything from roads and bridges to broadband and withstanding the effects of climate change…
Unfortunately, Trump’s harmful agenda didn’t stop there. Once he was done hurting Michigan’s economy, he set about making health care more expensive and less accessible for Michiganders. His executive orders are trying to tear down the Affordable Care Act and line the pockets of Big Pharma — threatening the more than 500,000 Michiganders who rely on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges:
NBC News: Trump reverses Biden policies on drug pricing and Obamacare
- On Monday, Trump signed a sweeping order aimed in part at reversing several Biden administration executive orders on health care, including efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs for people on Medicare and Medicaid…
- In jettisoning Biden’s order to look into new ways to lower out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, Levitt said, it could signal that Trump is less serious about addressing the cost of health care in the U.S.
The Guardian: Trump executive orders threaten healthcare of millions of Americans
- Those people whose coverage is now deemed at risk are the roughly 24 million Americans who have purchased their health insurance via the Affordable Care Act this year…
- Trump’s actions this week will affect all aspects of the ACA, including eligibility requirements, federal subsidies and enrollment deadlines, which determine when Americans can apply for insurance, without repealing the act, which would take action from the US Congress.
Yet, in his busy busy week hurting Michiganders and Americans alike, Trump still managed to find the time to pardon the January 6th rioters who attempted to overturn a free and fair election, stormed the U.S. Capitol, and attacked law enforcement officers in the process. These are violent criminals who tried to undermine our democracy and silence the will of the people, and now, thanks to Trump, they no longer face any consequences:
Detroit Free Press: Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons will free some Michiganders convicted of attacking law enforcement
- President Donald Trump’s order Monday night pardoning anyone convicted of taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol should free several Michiganders who were still serving time for attacking law enforcement personnel…
- The certification was delayed for several hours as rioters broke through the security perimeter and attacked police officers, several of whom were injured. No evidence has ever been revealed that indicates fraud or corruption on any scale that would have accounted for Biden’s election over Trump
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