If you’re watching the Republican Presidential debate tonight and feel like you’re experiencing Déjà vu, do not fear. The promises, mission statements and principles coming from the Republican Presidential candidates sound familiar because we’ve heard it all before, from the Republican House of Representatives.
This may be the first time this election cycle that the American public will get to hear where the Republican Presidential candidates stand on issues like women’s health, immigration, the confederate flag, entitlement reform and taxes for the wealthy, but their out-of-touch and irresponsible positions have been promoted by House Republicans for years.
Below are some hot topics that we expect the debate to touch on tonight, and evidence that House Republicans are, amazingly, out ahead of people like Donald Trump and Ben Carson on these extreme issues:
Defunding Planned Parenthood, Slashing Women’s Healthcare
Group Of Eighteen House Republicans Announced They Would Oppose Any Government Spending Bill That Provided Taxpayer Money To Planned Parenthood. “Eighteen House Republicans say that they will not support any government spending bill that provides taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, potentially increasing the risk of a government shutdown battle this fall. ‘Please know that we cannot and will not support any funding resolution — an appropriations bill, an omnibus package, a continuing resolution or otherwise — that contains any funding for Planned Parenthood, including mandatory funding streams,’ the group of Republicans, led by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, wrote in a letter to leadership today.” [Politico, 7/29/15]
Headline: ABC News: “Shutdown Showdown Over Planned Parenthood Possible, Members of Congress Say.” [ABC News, 7/31/15]
House GOP Spending Bill Eliminated Funding For Title X Family Planning – The Only Federal Grant Program To Provide Contraceptive & Other Preventive Health Services To Low-Income Patients. “House Republicans are trying again this year to eliminate federal funding for a program that provides birth control, HIV testing and sexually transmitted disease screenings and treatment to low-income patients across the country. The House Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee released a budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2016 on Tuesday that zeroes out funding for the Title X family planning program, the only federal grant program that provides contraceptive and other preventive health services to poor and uninsured individuals who would otherwise lack access to that kind of care.” [Huffington Post, 6/16/15]
Headline: New York Times Editorial: “Republicans Take Aim at Poor Women.” [Editorial, New York Times, 6/22/15]
Headline: Portland Press Herald Editorial: “Family planning cuts put women’s health at risk.” [Editorial, Portland Press Herald, 6/24/15]
Digging in Heels to Avoid Immigration Reform
House GOP Voted To Strip Language Encouraging Defense Department To Allow DREAMers To Serve In Uniform. “House Republicans voted to block a measure that would have allowed the Pentagon to consider allowing young immigrants who are in the country illegally — but were given temporary legal status under a program started by President Obama — to enlist in the military.” [HR 1735, Vote #229, 5/14/15; Los Angeles Times, 5/14/15]
Headline: Los Angeles Times: “Republicans block young immigrant ‘dreamers’ from military.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/14/15]
Los Angeles Times: “Congress, In Particular, Has Stumbled As Republicans Repeatedly Voted Against Immigrant-Friendly Measures.” “After the 2012 presidential election, when the Republican Party lost Latino and minority voters by wide margins, the GOP decided it needed to do a better job attracting those groups. But despite several years of outreach, the effort has run into limitations. Congress, in particular, has stumbled as Republicans repeatedly voted against immigrant-friendly measures that many Latino and minority voters support. The effort hit another rough patch Thursday.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/14/15]
Protecting the Confederate Flag
Headline: CNN: “House Confederate flag debate leads to embarrassment for GOP.” [CNN, 7/9/15]
AP: House GOP Pulled Appropriations Bill In “Retreat Under Fire” Amidst Confederate Flag Dispute. “The Republican-controlled House scrapped a vote on permitting the Confederate flag at Park Service-run cemeteries on Thursday, a retreat under fire that only escalated a ferocious attack by Democrats complaining the banner celebrates a murderous, racist past.” [AP, 7/9/15]
House GOP Halted Appropriations Process Amid Worries About Confederate Flag Amendments. “House Republicans are hitting the brakes on consideration of spending bills after leaders yanked a measure from the floor this week over the display of the Confederate flag. The House was originally slated to consider the 2016 spending bill for Financial Services next week, but the odds are now low for it hitting the floor. Republicans are worried that Democrats could try to offer more amendments related to the display of the Confederate flag that could again tie the GOP into knots. ‘We’re discussing how best to move the appropriations process forward,’ a House GOP leadership aide said.” [The Hill, 7/10/15]
New York Times: Confederate Flag “Has Unexpectedly Paralyzed Spending Bills On The House Floor.” “Almost two weeks after House Republicans called for a bipartisan solution to the fight over the Confederate battle flag on federal property, there has been no visible progress, and the issue has unexpectedly paralyzed spending bills on the House floor.” [New York Times, 7/21/15]
McCarthy Spokesman: “Passing Appropriations Bills Is One Of The Most Basic Responsibilities Congress Has.” “‘We’re discussing how best to move the appropriations process forward. Passing appropriations bills is one of the most basic responsibilities Congress has,’ said Mike Long, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).” [Politico, 7/10/15]
Slashing Entitlements: Medicare & Social Security
Los Angeles Times: GOP Balances Budget By “Slashing Medicare And Other Safety Net Programs.” “House Republicans released a 2016 spending blueprint Tuesday that fulfills the GOP goal of balancing the budget within 10 years, but only by slashing Medicare and other safety net programs, while dramatically boosting military spending.” [LA Times, 3/17/15; H Con Res 27, Vote #142, 3/25/15]
House GOP Budget Cuts Medicare By $148 Billion. “Price’s budget would cut Medicare by $148 billion through 2025. Starting in 2024, Medicare beneficiaries would choose from a range of options, including traditional Medicare and private coverage. The government would issue fixed payments directly to the plan.” [Bloomberg, 3/17/15]
AARP: “House Republican Budget is a Frontal Assault on the Needs of Seniors.” [AARP, 3/17/15]
RSC Budget Would Raise Retirement Age To 70 & Impose Chained CPI. “For Social Security, the RSC blueprint would eventually raise the full retirement age to 70 and would impose chained consumer price index (CPI) for Social Security benefit calculations. The proposal, which Obama had offered in previous budgets and then dropped, would result in lower benefits.” [The Hill, 3/23/15]
Promoting Tax Breaks For Corporations & Wealthy
House GOP Budget Proposed System That Shields Offshore Corporate Income From Taxation. “Price’s budget says that a broad overhaul of the tax code — lowering rates for individuals, corporations and small businesses alike, while scrapping a range of tax preferences — will give a jolt to the economy. But Price only specifically proposes to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, and move toward a system that shields offshore corporate income from U.S. taxation.” [The Hill, 3/17/15; H Con Res 27, Vote #142, 3/25/15]
FY 2016 Republican Budget Advocated For Lower Tax Rates For Corporations. According to the Republican Budget Summary the budget supports “lower rates for…large corporations” [Republican Committee on the Budget, 3/17/15]
FY 2016 Republican Budget “Reduces The Corporate Tax Rate.” The FY 2016 Republican Budget stated the budget “reduces the corporate tax rate.” [Draft Text of FY 2016 Republican Budget, 3/17/15]