REPORT: GOP PLAN WOULD DEPLETE SOCIAL SECURITY BY 2023. A new government analysis released yesterday revealed that the unpopular Republican plan to end payroll taxes would endanger funding for Social Security with catastrophic consequences for millions of seniors and hardworking families. The report found that if Republican plans to fully eliminate payroll taxes were enacted next year, the funding for disability insurance would become permanently depleted in the middle of 2021 and the funding for seniors and survivors benefits “would become permanently depleted by the middle of calendar year 2023, with no ability to pay OASI benefits thereafter.” The future of Social Security is at stake in November — and it’s yet another reason why we have to flip the Senate. Read our statement here.
SENATE REPUBLICANS ON DAY 12 OF VACATION AS DEJOY SABOTAGES POSTAL SERVICE. In a House hearing yesterday, Postmaster General and GOP mega-donor Louis DeJoy refused to restore the over 600 high-speed mail sorting machines that he’s removed or disconnected from postal facilities across the country, threatening the USPS’s ability to process mail-in ballots ahead of the election and amid widespread delays in delivery of critical mail like prescriptions and Social Security benefits. And while DeJoy sabotages the Postal Service, Senate Republicans are still on vacation amid a public health and economic crisis and are refusing to return to work to vote on the House-passed bipartisan legislation that would provide urgently needed funding for the Postal Service and reverse policies that hamper delivery.
RNC DAY ONE: REPUBLICANS “DISTORT ON HEALTH CARE.” Unsurprisingly Republicans kicked off their convention week trying to rewrite their toxic records on health care. As a fact check from the Associated Press made clear, Trump’s claims last night that Republicans “protected your preexisting conditions” are “not true.” In reality, Republicans are still plowing forward with their dangerous lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act and end protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions, they still have no replacement plan that matches current protections, and they can’t erase their records just because it’s an election year. AP: AP FACT CHECK: Trump, GOP distort on health care, vote fraud
TILLIS STRUGGLES WITH GOP BASE. A new Morning Consult deep dive into the North Carolina Senate race highlights vulnerable incumbent Senator Thom Tillis’ ongoing struggles with the GOP base. As “one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents,” Tillis is underperforming President Trump in recent polling, “indicating a missing piece of the coalition he’ll need to win re-election in November: unity in his party’s base.” Army veteran Cal Cunningham has an opening and is “leading among North Carolina independents by 7 points” as he seeks support from the electorate that Tillis has alienated. Tillis’ struggles among Republican voters are the latest bad sign for the weak incumbent: Cunningham outraised Tillis by nearly $5 million in Q2, and recent polling has Cunningham leading Tillis. Morning Consult: In N.C. Senate Race, Tillis’ Struggles With GOP Base Have Cunningham Seeking Votes in ‘Unlikely Places’
FACT CHECK: GARDNER’S SHAM BILL ALLOWS “DENIAL OF INSURANCE COVERAGE TO THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS.” Vulnerable Senator Cory Gardner’s latest attempt to rewrite his toxic record on health care continues to get called out as “a political stunt.” After a 9News report called the sham bill “actually horse excrement” and experts said Gardner’s bill is “motivated more by politics than substance,” a Colorado Times Recorder fact check found that the bill allows “denial of insurance coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.” One expert even told the Times Recorder that “effectively, there is no protection [for pre-existing conditions] at all.” The latest fact check just confirms what we already knew: Gardner’s efforts to erase his toxic history on health care during an election year won’t work. Colorado Times Recorder: FACT CHECK: Loopholes in Gardner Bill Allow Denial of Insurance Coverage to Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
REPUBLICAN ATTACKS IN MICHIGAN FALL FLAT, FAIL THREE FACT CHECKS IN TWO WEEKS. Failed politician John James and McConnell-aligned dark money groups have now put out three ads in the past two weeks that have failed fact-checks and been debunked for their “false” and “misleading” claims. Michiganders can see right through the increasingly desperate and flimsy attempts to “smear” Senator Gary Peters and skew the truth. Despite the attacks from James and his Washington allies, they can’t change the fact that Senator Peters has a strong record of fighting for Michiganders. Check out what the nonpartisan fact checkers at Bridge Magazine are saying about Republicans’ desperate attacks:
REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK TALKS HEALTH CARE AS SENATE RACE HEATS UP. A new WSAV report highlights how Reverend Raphael Warnock is making health care a key issue as the Georgia Senate race heats up. Warnock’s support for expanding access to affordable, high quality health care is in contrast to Republican candidates Senator Kelly Loeffler and Congressman Doug Collins who support dismantling the Affordable Care Act – Collins even brags on his website that “he has voted more than 50 times against the ACA.” Watch Reverend Warnock discuss his commitment to fighting for health care:
DEM AD WATCH
AL – Senator Doug Jones released a new ad today that spotlights Tommy Tuberville’s shady hedge fund that defrauded investors of millions of dollars. Watch.
ME – Sara Gideon’s latest ad calls out vulnerable incumbent Senator Susan Collins for refusing to be honest with Mainers about her stance on Trump’s re-election campaign. Watch.
NH – Senator Jeanne Shaheen released a new ad that highlights her efforts to stop Wall Street firms from ripping off Granite Staters with surprise medical bills. Watch.
IN THE STATES
GA – American Independent: GOP congressman sells ‘back to school’ masks after demanding schools reopen
IA – Iowa Public Radio: Democrat Theresa Greenfield On Derecho And Pandemic Response
KS – The Guardian: Meet the Republican-turned-Democrat who could flip a Senate seat in Kansas
ME – Maine Beacon: Collins attended pro-Trump event, appears to have edited sign out of campaign photos
NH – Union Leader: Surprise medical bills focus of Shaheen’s latest campaign ad
SC – NPR: In South Carolina, Longtime GOP Senator Faces Strong Challenge From A Democrat
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