Spending Bill Backlash and the Future of the Democratic Party
Ben Wikler, Washington Director at MoveOn.org, discusses the backlash Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is facing in the wake of his decision to vote for government funding without a fix on DACA.
Wikler says he believes Democrats have the upper hand if February 8th comes and another shutdown happens. We also talk about the future of the party and what it means for the midterm elections in 2018 and the general election in 2020. Wikler speculates about whether Democratic voters will be divided, similar to how Congressional Democrats were divided over the spending deal.
Amanda Chu of POLITICO reveals how lawmakers are betting millions on pharma stocks even as Trump threatens tariffs and demands steep drug price cuts. Watch!
At some 940-pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.
President Donald Trump wants his “big, beautiful” bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on his desk to be singed into law by Independence Day. And he’s pushing the slow-rolling Senate to make it happen sooner rather than later. Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House early this week and has been dialing senators for one-on-one chats, using both the carrot and stick to encourage them to act. But it’s still a long road ahead for the bill. Senators want to make changes to protect Medicaid and to make sure some tax breaks become permanent. Elon Musk called the whole bill a "disgusting abomination.”
