GOP THREAT TO MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY. Republican Senators are silent after President Trump this week said he plans to “look at” cuts to Medicare and other earned benefit programs like Social Security. The statements shine a spotlight on vulnerable incumbents’ records: voting for a corporate tax giveaway that “trimmed a year of solvency from the primary Medicare trust fund and had a negative effect on the Social Security trust fund,” and supporting toxic GOP budgets that would put these earned benefits on the chopping block. It’s another liability for Republicans who will have to defend their policies of putting wealthy special interests and themselves ahead of working Americans.
NEW: “REPUBLICANS PASSED TAX CUTS — THEN PROFITED.” A scathing new report from the Center for Public Integrity shows that Republicans weren’t just rewarding their wealthy special interest donors when they passed their corporate tax giveaway in 2017 — they were also lining their own pockets. The analysis lays out how wealthy members of Congress passed a tax bill that included provisions that could help them personally profit, and names Georgia Senator David Perdue in particular as a member of Congress who has appeared to benefit from this deeply unpopular giveaway that has sent the deficit soaring and put Medicare and Social Security on the line. Read more.
ARIZONANS KEEP SOURING ON MCSALLY. Arizonans are increasingly frustrated with unelected Senator Martha McSally. A look at must-win Maricopa County showed voters fed up with McSally’s lack of independence, and complaining “you can definitely tell that she is in Trump’s pocket.” She’s even losing support from those that once backed her appointment, like the Eastern Arizona Courier, which wrote McSally has been “revealed as a political opportunist.” The rest of the coverage doesn’t get any better:
“GREATLY DISAPPOINTED ALL OF COLORADO”: COLORADANS *STILL* LOOKING FOR GARDNER. Senator Cory Gardner continues to earn wall-to-wall coverage for his attempts to avoid scrutiny over his role in the impeachment trial. His week has gone from bad to worse: first it was a front page New York Times report asking “Where is Cory Gardner?” and then a protest from Coloradans outside of his office, demanding to know whether he will support direct witness testimony in the impeachment trial. Today, a local editorial board called on Gardner to put Coloradans ahead of his political self-interest, writing that he “has greatly disappointed all of Colorado when pressed to this test in the past.”
COLLINS LOSES ANOTHER ENDORSEMENT TO SARA GIDEON. Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Sara Gideon in Maine, becoming the third major organization declining to support Senator Susan Collins’ re-election after backing her in past elections. In the announcement, Planned Parenthood slammed Senator Collins for having “abandoned not only the people of Maine, but women across the country.”
Planned Parenthood joins NARAL Pro-Choice America and the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund — once “one of [Collins’] most prominent environmental backers” — in switching their support to Sara Gideon, in another sign that Senator Collins is no longer seen as an ally in the Senate. Read more on the Planned Parenthood endorsement below:
… AND CONTINUES TO TOE MCCONNELL’S LINE TO BLOCK WITNESSES AND EVIDENCE. Senator Collins voted the party line with Mitch McConnell 10 times this week to block subpoenas for key documents and witnesses with direct knowledge of the President’s conduct. Collins was taken to task by the Portland Press Herald last weekend for her “troubling” position refusing to demand all the evidence. With her votes, Senator Collins not only abandoned the majority of Mainers who want to see the facts in the impeachment trial — she also turned her back on her own standards from 1999, when she said definitively: “I need witnesses and further evidence.”
JAMES CAMPAIGN ACCUSED OF ILLEGAL COORDINATION WITH PRO-JAMES DARK MONEY GROUP. OpenSecrets reported this week on failed Senate candidate John James’ coordination with a political dark money group led by the campaign manager from his losing 2018 campaign, who likely violated the mandatory 120-day “cooling-off period” before her shady group began running attack ads against Senator Peters. Today, End Citizens United filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission.
LAWSUIT TO END PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS PROTECTIONS STILL A LIABILITY FOR GOP SENATORS. “Republicans worry Democrats have maintained the upper hand on health care” as the toxic GOP lawsuit to end pre-existing conditions protections continues to loom over the 2020 election. Public polling, as well as President Trump’s own internal polling show that health care remains a top issue for voters and voters disapprove of Republicans’ handling of health care policy.
IN THE STATES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Please welcome Helen Kalla as the DSCC’s new director of rapid response! We’re so excited to have her on the team.
Lauren Passalacqua
@laurenvpass
Stewart Boss
@stew_boss
Helen Kalla
@helen_kalla
Izzi Levy
@chevytothe_levy
Regina Anderson
@reginasopinion
