Mediaboss Marketing

By my count, six Republicans in districts that voted for Hillary Clinton voted in favor of the American Health Care Act in committee before they had the Congressional Budget Office scoring. These were: Reps. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Mimi Walters (R-Calif.),Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), Ryan Costello (R-Pa.) and Leonard Lance (R-N.J.).(We cross-checked Clinton districts where the Republican House members won against the votes in the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee.) In some cases Clinton won by big margins in these Republicans districts. (In Curbelos district, she won by more than 16 points; in Paulsens by 9.5 points.) One supposes Democrats will put these members at or near the top of their list of incumbent targets in 2018.

The argument writes itself. How could they vote for a bill this important, not knowing what its impact would be? Lance is already trying to do damage control. CNN reports:

Republican Rep. Leonard Lance, a moderate from New Jersey who Democrats believe will be vulnerable in 2018, told CNN that he believes the House bill will fail in the Senate. As he eyes his own reelection campaign next year, Lance said he doesnt want to support a legislation that would be rejected by his Republican colleagues across the Capitol.

I do not want to vote on a bill that has no chance of passing over in the Senate, Lance said. The CBO score has modified the dynamics.

In light of the new CBO report, Lance said House leaders must make changes to their existing bill and only bring to the floor a version that can survive in the Senate.

Well, he already did vote for it in the Energy and Commerce Committee. In retrospect that seems like a highly irresponsible vote.

Washington state is deep blue, and Reichert has faced tough competition in the past. He has gone out of his way to try to reassure nervous voters worried about losing Obamacare.The Seattle Times noted, Last month, in an interview with KCTS 9 before the legislation was released, Reichert said: No one is going to lose coverage, let me just make that clear, again, no one will lose coverage.' He was off by 24 million. Thats sure to come up in 2018.

The Trump administration and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan are defending the Republican bill to supplant the Affordable Care Act, while facing criticism from Democrats and fellow GOP lawmakers. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Curbelo may find it especially uncomfortable since his Florida colleague Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) opposes the bill because of the number of people who will lose insurance. With her opposition, Ros-Lehtinen is breaking with fellow Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who last week voted for the bill in the House Ways and Means Committee. Both lawmakers represent Democratic-leaning districts won by Hillary Clinton. Interestingly, Curbelo doesnt seem anxious to brag about his vote. (Curbelo hasnt commented on the CBO report. On Monday, American Action Network, a Republican political group linked to House Speaker Paul Ryan, started airing TV ads in Miami to give Curbelo cover for his support.)

By contrast, Walters put out a statement cheering passage of the AHCA in committee. Our constituents need healthcare plans and programs that work for them, not Washington. Its our duty to rescue this failing healthcare system and develop a system that offers Americans access to quality, patient-centered care. Passage of the #AHCA is a critical step towards that goal.Considering the millions who will lose coverage, the price hikes for older Americans and those who will be priced out (including those dropped by Medicaid), she may have some difficulty explaining that.

Paulsen already has drawn fire from the Democrats congressional committee. In a statement after his vote on the Ways and Means Committee, Democrats blasted him: Erik Paulsen is now on the record in favor of jacking up health insurance premiums and ripping away coverage from millions so that Republicans can cuts taxes for health insurance CEOs. Remember, Clinton won his district by more than 9 points so hes going to face an onslaught in 2018. Paulsen didnt show up for a town hall meeting but voters held one anyway last month, blasting him for, among other things, opposing the Affordable Care Act.

In Costellos district Clinton won by less than a point, but hes only in his second term. Although the district has been reliably Republican in House races, nothing prevents a Republican primary challenger from emerging. He likes to think of himself as a pragmatic conservative but pragmatists usually insist on having the facts before making decisions of enormous consequence.

Well see if these members come to regret their votes. But keep in mind there are a total of 23 Republicans who sit in districts who went for Clinton. Given the reception the bill has gotten and the CBO score, it will be interesting to see how many risk their seats by voting for Trumpcare. The bill will need 216 votes to pass the House. Between this group and the larger Freedom Caucus, which is fiercely criticizing the bill, there are plenty of votes to sink it in the House. And if not, one wonders how the Clinton-district Republicans will fare when the Senate almost surely refuses to pass it.

See the original post:
Republicans who voted for the AHCA better watch out - Washington Post (blog)

President Donald Trumps promise to build a fortified barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border is about to hit a wall of its own: Members of Congress with different ideas on how to curb illegal immigration.

Keep up with the best of Bloomberg Politics.

Get our newsletter daily.

The administration will seek billions of dollars to pay for it, with the first installment coming in the administrations budget request to Congress on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security also will solicit bids as early as this week from companies for a wall it has described as 30 feet tall, made of concrete and hard to climb. On Wednesday, it said it also will seek proposals for other designs.

Top Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, are drafting a plan to use multiple approaches -- a wall in some areas, fencing in others, and more drones and Border Patrol agents.

We write the check on this, House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas said in an interview. We will make sure that its done smart and efficient from a taxpayers standpoint.

Related: To Protect Climate Money, Obama Stashed It Where Its Hard to Find

While Republicans debate among themselves, Democrats already are threatening to block one strategy for passing funds for the wall. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other party members said in a letter to GOP leaders Monday that theyll oppose attaching border-wall money to legislation providing stopgap funding for the federal government for the rest of this fiscal year.

It is truly a poison pill and we would urge our colleagues not to allow the president to include this in a must-pass bill that avoids shutdown of the government, Schumer of New York said on the Senate floor.

A government funding bill must pass by April 28 to avoid a shutdown. Democrats say the wall wont work and that theres no real plan for its design, plus Trump promised during his campaign to make Mexico pay for it. Republicans control both chambers in Congress, but with 52 Senate seats they are short of the 60 needed to break a Democratic filibuster.

Much of the struggle is among Republicans, though, especially if Trump continues to disagree with fellow party members who have always seen his idea of a wall as purely conceptual.

Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, noted that an executive order signed by Trump that called for wall construction also requires a study of potential approaches. Johnson said the outcome will help fashion practical solutions for border enforcement.

Ive never thought we needed a 2,000-mile wall. We have to use technology, Johnson said in an interview. We have to use boots on the ground in some areas. But as we develop this information, it becomes clear what we need to do.

So far, the administration has been sending mixed signals. Even as Trump talks about a big, beautiful wall, DHS Secretary John Kelly described a multi-layered approachto House lawmakers. Elaine Duke, a 28-year DHS veteran nominated by Trump to be Kellys deputy, said at her Senate confirmation hearing last week that the agencys solicitation of contractor ideas for a wall will help determine possible approaches.

The debate will take place in stages, McCaul stressed, with the first including a supplemental spending request for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

The administration is considering a request of as much as $6.6 billion as a down payment on Trumps promises to bolster security at the border and crack down on undocumented immigrants. That could come as early as this week, according to people familiar with the plan.

An early version of the plan being fashioned by the White House and DHS would include $2.8 billion to begin carrying out Trumps executive orders calling for construction of a border wall and increased deportation of undocumented immigrants, the people said. About half of that amount would be used for a major increase in detention facilities and for alternatives including ankle bracelets.

About $1 billion would be set aside for border-wall construction. Other funding includes $115 million for added Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and another $115 million for Customs and Border Protection hiring, the people said.

The early version of the plan also includes $3.8 billion for other DHS expenses, including Customs and Border Protection operations unrelated to a border wall, ICE operations, including immigration prosecutions, and the Coast Guard.

McCaul said his staff is working with the administration on a second wave that would authorize up to $15 billion more for border security over 10 years. It would include a sector-by-sector approach to enhancing the border, while giving DHS new powers to access federal lands and more quickly remove undocumented immigrants caught near the border.

Democrats warn that McCaul may have to rely entirely on his own party to advance his bill. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security panel, said the added security may cost more than $20 billion, and further costs will add to a price tag that looks too big at a time of other domestic needs.

A $20 billion or $21 billion price tag for a wall or a fence or whatever you want to call it, thats an awful lot of money, he said in an interview. Theres maintenance and upkeep that goes with that. And theyre going to add 10,000 more people to the employment roll.

I think if we engage Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and start showing them how we can be partners in this effort and not have such a harsh attitude toward our neighbors, we can probably accomplish a lot more, Thompson said.

McCaul insists any differences on approaches between Republican lawmakers and Trump are bridgeable. As far as Trumps talk of concrete, McCaul and House Speaker Paul Ryan recently traveled to the Rio Grande region of the Texas border, where water levees are made of concrete. More of those will probably be part of any solution, and that might satisfy the president, McCaul said.

When you look at the concrete levee, its a concrete physical barrier, he said.

See the original post here:
House Republicans Take Their Own Path on Trump's Border Wall - Bloomberg

Common Dreams

Republicans Keep Showing Us Who They Are Common Dreams Amid the mayhem of Trump's first days in office, the Congressional Budget Office's crushing report on the impact of the Republican health-care plan offers a moment of clarity. The Republican plan will deprive millions of health insurance, and raise the ... and more »

Visit link:
Republicans Keep Showing Us Who They Are - Common Dreams

Im glad, because it seemed like it was a distraction to what he hopes to accomplish and Congress hopes to accomplish in the policy realm, Trey Grayson said. | AP Photo

By Aidan Quigley

03/15/17 05:22 AM EDT

Prominent Republicans across the country are breathing a sigh of relief that President Donald Trump has so far not aggressively pursued his pledge for a major investigation into his allegations of widespread voter fraud that he claims robbed him the popular vote.

Current and former GOP state party chairs and other officials said in interviews that the unverified allegation was at best a distraction and at worst a damaging statement that could erode confidence in elections. And even as Trump continues to make some outrageous claims including that former President Barack Obama tapped his Trump Tower phones hes now directing much of his attention to replacing Obamacare and juicing up the job market.

Story Continued Below

Im glad, because it seemed like it was a distraction to what he hopes to accomplish and Congress hopes to accomplish in the policy realm, Trey Grayson, former Kentucky secretary of state, said. There doesn't seem to be strong evidence to defend the claims.

Trump raised the issue of voter fraud early and often throughout his transition period and his first couple of weeks in office, claiming without evidence that from 3 million to 5 million people voted illicitly in the 2016 election.

While he pledged during his first week in office to ask for a major investigation into voter fraud and the White House said he would sign an executive order formally pursuing one, the effort has quietly dropped from sight.

There is still no sign of the commission Trump later asked Vice President Mike Pence to form to investigate the matter on Feb. 5. Aside from a brief mention during White House press secretary Sean Spicers Feb. 22 briefing, in which he said Pence was starting to gather names and individuals to be a part of it, the administration has been generally mum on the issue.

Staff is continuing to work to put the framework together for this process, Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said. We will let you know when we have additional updates on it.

Leading conservative organizations focusing on voter fraud at the state level likely participants in a commission on the issue led by the administration say they have not been contacted about participating. Neither has Catherine Engelbrecht, the leader of prominent national anti-voter fraud organization True the Vote.

Last week, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said his panel would not pursue its own investigation into Trumps claim as he has not seen the evidence.

Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Pennsylvania GOP, said that while voter fraud is a real problem that should be addressed, there are more pressing issues the administration is facing.

Theyre putting their priorities where they belong: jobs, keeping America safe and getting their administration off to a good start, he said.

New Hampshire Republicans, in particular, are expressing relief at the development as Trump specifically mentioned their state, alleging voters bused in from Massachusetts cost him and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte victories in the state.

But some Republicans want the White House to retreat even further.

It would be nice if they would admit they made a bogus claim before moving on, but next to that, the right thing to do is move on, said Fergus Cullen, former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican party.

Tom Rath, the states former attorney general, said the claims have faded from view because they are false.

I dont think it was tactical, as opposed to realistic, he said. If youre going to say something like that, you need to have a second act. They didnt even have the first act.

Cullen offered $1,000 to anyone who could provide evidence any individual from Massachusetts was bused in to vote, and he says no one has come forward with evidence. He said he did not think the declining focus on voter fraud is symbolic of a more focused administration, especially in light of Trump's accusations that Obama had wiretapped him.

Others were more optimistic that the development represented growth within the administration.

Ive been encouraged when I hear the president and his administration focusing on health care, focusing on supplying the military with support they need, focusing on tax reform, Jennifer Horn, former chairwoman on the New Hampshire GOP, said. I think the more the administration focuses on these larger issues facing the nation, the better it will be for the president and our nation.

Matt Strawn, former Iowa GOP chairman, said he was encouraged by the presidents engagement on health care as a sign of the administration's priorities, as Iowans do not see voting fraud as an issue in the state.

The issue isnt one Im hearing is at top of mind for folks in Iowa, he said. Their focus is on jobs and the economy.

State legislatures in a number of states are considering laws that would tighten voting regulations, despite the lack of evidence of in-person voter fraud. Only 31 cases of in-person voter fraud were recorded from 2000 to 2014, according to research from Loyola University law professor Justin Levitt.

John Whitbeck, chairman of the Virginia Republican party, said the issue has not fallen out of the spotlight in his state. Citing a recent Washington Times article, Whitbeck said 9,000 noncitizens were disqualified from jury duty in Loudoun County in Northern Virginia from 2009 to 2014. Since the jury pools come from voter registration lists and driver license applications, Whitbeck said that report was a cause for concern.

When we lose elections to progressives, it concerns Republicans because theres always the question of if the integrity of the ballot was kept, he said. I hope the president takes a look at it.

Whitbeck said investigating voter fraud in New Jersey and Virginia, the two states with statewide elections in 2017, should be a priority. However, he understands why the White House has focused on other issues.

Theyre trying to repeal and replace Obamacare, they have the refugee travel issue, there are a lot of things going on right now," he said. "So its not surprising this isnt the No. 1 issue facing the White House."

Get the latest news and scoops from our expert team, every morning in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Democratic critics of Trumps White House say they dont buy the argument that its simply other priorities that have pushed a voter fraud investigation onto the back burner.

Jason Kander, the former Missouri secretary of state and Democratic candidate for Senate who is now leading a newly formed voting rights group called Let America Vote, floated the idea that Pence is not enthusiastic about pursuing the probe.

It seems the VP is so embarrassed by this massive absurd lie he doesn't want to talk about it, Kander said. If this was in any way within a country mile of a legitimate claim, [the president] would have asked the DOJ to investigate it instead of a clearly biased political figure.

Discussions of large-scale voter fraud without any evidence makes it more likely laws will be introduced to fight what might be a nonexistent problem, said Ellen Weintraub, a Democratic member of the Federal Election Commission commissioner. These laws may deter bona-fide U.S. citizens from voting," she added.

Grayson said he was unsure whether there was any type of strategy behind the presidents claims, or if Trump was trying to blow off steam, trying to get more respect for his electoral win, or actually thought there was that much voter fraud. Either way, Grayson said, he was glad the administration has zeroed in on other issues.

It undermines the confidence we have in our elections, he said. I dont want the president, governors or senators saying things like that, its harmful.

See the original post here:
Republicans relieved Trump eased up on voter fraud claims - Politico

Photo by: John Dixon/The News-Gazette

Affirmative-action supporters Earnest Lucious, left, and Chris Williams, right, help Illini Republicans member Jonathan Heideman pick up cookies after another affirmative-action supporter threw them off a table on the Quad where the group was hosting its affirmative-action bake sale on Tuesday. 'We can disagree respectively,' Williams said. 'When something like this happens, we always lose,' Lucious said about the incident.

URBANA While their "affirmative-action bake sale" drew a large crowd to their table on the quad Tuesday, the Illini Republicans weren't selling a whole lot of cookies.

"We've sold a few," said member Jakub Balicki, a UI freshman.

The group caused a stir last week when it announced plans for a bake sale with a twist. Prices would be set based on race and ethnicity "in much the same manner as our school manipulates admission requirements," the group said.

On Tuesday, a poster board informed passers-by that cookies cost $2 for Asians, $1.75 for whites, $1.50 for Hispanics/Latinos, $1.25 for blacks, $1.50 for "others" and minus-$0.25 for women.

"Above prices are suggested for discussion purposes," it read. "Ask for details."

"The point of our bake sale is to bring the issue of affirmative action into the light of the student population because we believe that school admissions should be based off a merit-based system," Balicki said. "If there's an African-American student and a white student who come from the same poor neighborhood, through affirmative action, the African-American student would have an advantage because they're seen as a more disadvantaged racial class compared to other races.

"If those two students apply to the same university at the same exact merits, they should be admitted for their merits and not just for the color of their skin."

As expected, the event sparked counter-bake sales in the same area.

The Chicano unity organization MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Azlan) put on a "solidarity bake sale," in which items went for $1 apiece no matter one's skin color or gender.

"We're out here to prove we're not quotas or tokens," said UI sophomore Juan Luna.

Luna and fellow MEChA member Jocelyn Ramirez said the proceeds they collected from Tuesday's sale would go to the C-U Immigration Forum.

"The most important thing we can do as an organization is to promote our own causes like helping C-U Immigration and using those funds to help them out," Ramirez said. "That's one of the causes we support as an organization."

Ramirez said Tuesday's bake sale led to a lot of discussion between the various student organizations participating, though many were left frustrated with the dialogue between the groups and the Illini Republicans.

"I feel like they have the outcome they wanted by having people come by and ask questions," Ramirez said, "but when someone tries to ask them questions, they weren't answering, so I'm not sure how productive it really was.

"'What was your upbringing?' 'What were some of your personal experiences?' Just to get to know them. It came off pretty rude for them to ignore some of those basic questions."

UI sophomore Earnest Lucious, a native of Chicago, was able to have a short conversation with members of the Illini Republicans.

"I felt it was important to combat this view," Lucious said. "They're probably not going to understand it because they built these beliefs over their entire lives, so a 10-minute conversation isn't going to change that."

"I simply came here to block their revenue because they're not going to listen to me anyway."

It was a mostly civil day, though at one point a student tried to confiscate the Republicans' baked goods before his efforts were thwarted by others.

Prior to the bake sale, Dementro Powell, the director of the Office of Registered Organizations, released a statement acknowledging that many students, faculty, staff and community members had taken offense to the nature of the Illini Republicans' sale.

Powell went on to note that the Illini Republicans followed standard procedure and received approval to hold the event on campus.

"The university does not withhold approval for these events based on the proposed purpose, topic or message," Powell wrote.

Staff members from Student Affairs met with the students as part of the process and told them that if the event involved discriminatory pricing based on race or ethnicity it would be a violation of UI policy and would be investigated by the Office of Student Conflict Resolution.

They were also told their pricing practices might violate the Illinois Human Rights Act and could result in a state investigation.

Tuesday's event led to a half-dozen other sales by various organizations, all saying they did so to promote inclusion.

Crescendo was as busy as any student group on the quad, selling cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls and pies.

"We ran out of pumpkin bread, almost out of cinnamon rolls, ran out of banana bread, ran out of a pie earlier, but we got some more donated," said Crescendo president Deborah Waters, a UI sophomore.

Crescendo was accepting cash payments, as well as electronic payments from apps like Venmo. The group said proceeds will benefit its scholarship fund, which helps underrepresented students in performing arts on campus.

"We want to show that every student here is not just meeting a quota, but they're also qualified candidates, and we've exceeded admissions standards," Waters said.

"I actually think it's a good thing to have these kinds of conversations and for people to be vocal about those opinions because people tend to steer away from conversations related to social justice, and they're really important to have."

Read the original here:
Few customers, lots of talk at Illini Republicans' bake sale - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette