News of the Weak!
Whoops! The GOP accidentally admits tax cuts don’t pay for themselves.
Under the new rules package, the budgetary requirements are more one-sided — in favor of tax cuts. Going forward, tax cuts do not need to be offset with any sort of savings elsewhere in the budget. They can add trillions to the debt. No problem.
But this is not true of spending programs. Spending program increases still have to be paid for.
Not only that, but the savings to offset expansions of mandatory programs have to come from cuts to other spending programs. They cannot be offset by tax revenue increases. In practical terms: An expansion of food stamps can’t be paid for by raising taxes on the rich — only by cutting, say, Medicaid or disability benefits.
Additionally, in a side deal that Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made as part of his concessions to get the speaker’s job, the House will also substantially cut spending for so-called discretionary spending programs, too. (Mandatory programs, such as Social Security, are generally set by formula, automatically expanding or shrinking based on how many people qualify; a specific dollar amount is appropriated for discretionary programs.)
There are a couple of big takeaways from these technicalities.
First is that, if you read between the lines, you’ll learn that even Republicans don’t believe their own long-standing promise that tax cuts will pay for themselves. After all, if the GOP genuinely believed this, they wouldn’t need to make it easier to pass tax cuts that don’t pay for themselves. Because such tax cuts … would not exist.
Second is who and what they care about.
“This is fundamentally about who pays for what, what are we investing in, and who’s left behind,” said Joel Friedman, a researcher for the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities. “It puts up barriers to the type of investments and public services that will help people through health care, education, supporting kids.”
As a result, we can expect more kids and poor families to face hardship, particularly if there is a downturn this year; and perhaps (even more) tax cuts for the rich.
republiCONs know there is voter fraud
The wife of a 2020 Iowa Republican candidate for Congress has been arrested and accused of filing 23 fraudulent votes for her husband, reports Business Insider.
Kim Phuong Taylor was arrested for trying to help her husband Jeremy Taylor win the Republican primary in 2020 for the Fourth Congressional District in Iowa. Taylor was trying to beat Steve King, a far right-wing incumbent congressman notorious for spouting racist rhetoric.
The indictment alleges that Phuong Taylor, born in Vietnam, used her ties to Iowa's Vietnamese community in Woodbury County to go home-to-home to collect absentee ballots from people who were not home. Then she allegedly completed those ballots herself, filling in Jeremy Taylor's name for the residents who did not know the votes were cast in their name and did not consent to voting for Taylor.
These actions drew charges of 26 counts of providing false information and voting, 23 counts of fraudulent voting and three counts of fraudulent registration, along with signing voter registration forms on behalf of residents who were not present. There is a five-year maximum sentence for each charge.
GOP seeks to condemn attacks against pro-lifers — but their resolution has a big problem
Republicans are trying to claim that the anti-abortion pregnancy centers and religious institutions are being attacked and deserve additional protection.
But Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) pointed out Wednesday that their resolution cites violence that was committed by an anti-abortion protester.
'He certainly did': Twitter mocks Trump for saying he showed America how 'corrupt our government is'
Trump, who is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice, among other entities, posted: “Importantly, I have single-handedly shown the American Public how Crooked and Corrupt our Government is. NOW WE CAN FIX IT!”
Former federal prosecutor and Republican Ron Filipkowski started the chain of reactions by tweeting a screenshot of Trump’s post along with a sarcastic jab at the former president: “He certainly did that every single day he was in office."
Many users added their reactions to Filipkowski’s tweet in agreement.
Former sports editor of The Tacoma News Tribune Darrin Beene posted, “What's really funny about this statement is this guy couldn't fix a sandwich.”
Other users hailed the former president’s post as a “confession.”
“It is odd how often he points out how horrible he is himself,” Ohioan @cincygreghoodin tweeted.
Teacher, @BowiesNana responded, "For sure, DJT ...You showed the World "how crooked and corrupt Government can be!"
"Unreal, just about everything he blurts out is a confession of sorts......" user @lanna_mick responded.
And some users sarcastically agreed with Trump's statement.
An "ex republican after 60 yrs" @BUSH1940 tweeted, "Yep, he showed us. His corruption has been quite obvious."
"I have to agree with him on all but the last 5 words," @syfy09 wrote.
Lawyer @Fly_Sistah replied, "Wow. I actually agree with Donald Trump. His decades long crime spree that reached the White House did singlehandedly show us how corrupt government is."