To the editor,
Donald Trump spent his first term trying to take away medical coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and there is ample reason to predict that his second term will show a similar disregard for the health of America.
First, DJT plans to nominate RFK Jr., noted vaccine opponent as Secretary Health and Human Services. Vaccines are the reason why measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, and polio are virtually eliminated from the U.S. Even if RFK does not interfere with the deployment or research of vaccines, his elevation to government gives greater visibility and perceived authority to views that are demonstrably false by scientific evidence.
Second, the Republican majority in congress is likely to roll back the Covid-Era block grant funding that helped citizens purchase ACA-compliant coverage from the marketplace. This would cause the out-of-pocket costs to rise dramatically for people who are already struggling to get by.
Third, congress is likely to renew the 2017 income tax cuts, while also seeking an additional cut from 21% to 15% tax on corporate profits. While the short-term view is that this puts more money in citizens’ pockets, this plan was already judged to increase the budget deficit to an unacceptable level in 2017, which is why the income tax cuts were made temporary to begin with.
This irresponsible cut mostly benefits rich corporations while putting America’s long-term financial health at risk and opens the door for cuts to Social Security and Medicare to offset this “investment” in short-term greed. Republicans use tax cuts to sweeten the pill of continuing cuts to popular programs, but the evidence is clear that it is the rich who benefit the most.
Taking Americans’ healthcare and giving handouts to corporations was Trump’s priority during his first term, and without pushback from voters, this affliction will go untreated.
Sincerely,
Alex DePalma,
Quality Control Analyst and Lynnfield Resident
