In his inaugural address, Donald Trump stated, “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.” However, his actions have proven these words to be empty rhetoric. Policy and legislative proposals by the White House and congressional Republicans have been blatantly slanted toward the 1 percent while leaving the rest of us in the lurch. Senate Democrats, by contrast, have recently proposed legislation to reduce the financial burden for poor and middle class Americans in two essential areas: health care and college tuition. If you want to know who is really looking out for the forgotten men and women of our country, look to the actions of those in Washington, not their words.
Take health care for example. The Republican proposal, backed by Trump, offered billions in tax cuts for the wealthy while providing worse coverage; additionally, it would have eliminated coverage for tens of millions of those “forgotten men and women.” Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have proposed Medicare for all legislation. Not only would this plan cover all Americans, but on average, middle class families would save $5,000 per year in premiums.
The Trump administration’s proposed budget calls for five billion dollars in cuts to higher education funding for low-income Americans. By contrast, Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to provide free tuition to four-year public colleges for families making up to $125,000 per year.
Look to deeds, not words, when evaluating who is looking out for middle class and poor Americans.
Chuck Viren
Grand Marais
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