Trump’s reckless pandemic response puts Michigan health, jobs, & Social Security at risk
Michigan unemployment when President Trump took office: 4.9 percent
Michigan unemployment now: 8.7 percent
Today, President Donald Trump will travel to Muskegon, Michigan, to hold a rally in an airplane hangar at Muskegon County Airport. His event will be the eighth of 12 scheduled in-person rallies following the revelation of his COVID-19 diagnosis on October 2. Rather than quarantine for the two-week period recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump has continued to downplay the pandemic and put Americans at risk by holding six in-person rallies this week — and hosting an in-person event at the White House this past weekend. After risking the health of Secret Service members to take a joyride outside of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he told the country not to let the virus “dominate your lives,” despite the more than 217,000 lives lost in the United States due to the president’s failed pandemic response and his lying to the American people about the true danger of the virus since February. This week, Trump falsely claimed to be immune to the virus despite failing to disclose when he last tested negative. And yesterday, in an NBC town hall, he continued his disregard for the truth by attacking the effectiveness of masks with an inaccurate claim, discouraging his supporters from wearing masks.
With Michigan experiencing a 56 percent increase in COVID cases over the past two weeks, as well as passing more than 156,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,300 dead, Trump’s recklessness and lies are putting Michigan at risk. In the first 2020 presidential debate, Trump claimed that there has been “no negative effect” from his rallies. However, at least two have been linked to surges in cases: His rally in Tulsa was tied to a record increase in COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma as well as the death of Herman Cain, while his rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, has been linked to 16 people infected with COVID-19, two of whom have been hospitalized. Trump himself likely contracted the virus at an unsafe event with supporters at the White House.
As a result of President Trump’s failure to control the virus, the unemployment rate in Michigan was still at 8.7 percent in August, compared with 4.9 percent when the Trump presidency began. In the absence of federal leadership or any national testing plan, the virus continues to spread, and uncertainty has created wildly unstable economic conditions in the state. Amid this economic instability, Trump cut federal unemployment insurance by $300, leaving Michigan single-parent families with one child on a modest budget facing a shortfall of $1,470 per month, according to a recent Center for American Progress analysis. Approximately 387,844 Michiganders are still receiving some type of unemployment benefit. In total, 567,300 fewer Michigans were employed in August than in February, a 10.5 percent decline. Instead of leading the country out of the pandemic, Trump has continued his long-time assault on Social Security by calling for the termination of a large portion of its dedicated funding source — payroll taxes. Trump’s proposal, according to Social Security Chief Actuary Stephen Goss, would wipe out the Social Security Trust Fund by 2023. More than 2.2 million Michigan residents — 22.4 percent of the state’s population — are Social Security beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, President Trump has continued his attack on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). After revealing a panicked health care executive order that does nothing to protect preexisting conditions, Trump maintained his commitment to striking down the ACA in court. If the Trump-backed lawsuit to repeal the ACA succeeds, 720,000 state residents could lose health coverage, and 4.1 million Michiganders with preexisting conditions could face higher premiums or be barred from coverage during the pandemic.
Learn more about how the Trump administration’s policies have hurt Michigan families and put them at risk below.
Health care
Claim: “Those with pre-existing conditions will always get the quality coverage they need.” — Donald Trump, September 24, 2016
Reality: The Trump administration is trying to repeal the ACA through the courts with no replacement. If successful, the Trump administration will strip coverage from millions of Americans, raise premiums, and end protections for people with preexisting conditions. In Michigan:
- 4.1 million residents with preexisting conditions would lose protections if the Trump-backed lawsuit to repeal the ACA succeeds.
- 720,000 Michigan residents could lose coverage if the ACA is repealed.
Profits and wages
Claim: “I will be the greatest jobs President that God ever created … [O]ur poorer citizens will get new jobs and higher pay and new hope for their life.” — Donald Trump, October 5, 2016
Reality: President Trump promised voters that he would prioritize the interests of the middle class. Instead, he’s prioritized the wealthiest Americans and corporations.
- President Trump has the worst jobs record in history and is the only president to have lost net jobs on his watch.
- Trump blocked a federal minimum wage increase for Michigan workers. Approximately 1.4 million state workers were denied a pay increase, resulting in more than $3.6 billion in lost wages.
Taxes
Claim: “No one will gain more from these proposals than low- and middle-income Americans.” — Donald Trump, August 8, 2016
Reality: Eighty-three percent of the Trump administration’s $2 trillion tax cut goes to big corporations and the rich. Many Michigan families are getting stuck with the bill.
