Thursday night the vote on the American Health Care Act was pushed until Friday morning. Did Republicans lack the vote, or did they really just not want to be up until 3 o’clock in the morning? Perhaps we’ll never know the true answer.
In my American Congress class, we asked who would suffer the greater loss if the bill couldn’t get the votes, Speaker Paul Ryan or President Trump? With that question at hand, I think I have to wager on the side of Paul Ryan. The main reason I say this is due to the fact that Paul Ryan is up for reelection in 2018, Donald Trump has four years. Not only that, butPaul Ryan has constituents to answer to at home. I wonder what their socioeconomic status is. I wonder if they like him and want it to pass. I wonder if any of them qualify as the 24 million Americans who will lose coverage by the end of the decade. Or if they’re part of the low-income families who will face higher out-of-pocket costs (which is already absurdly high). Or if they’re part of the number of older people who will also face higher out-of-pocket costs. These predictions were made by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and reported by ABC News. Also according to ABC News, as of tonight, Thursday night, there were at least 32 Republicans who said they would oppose the bill. The GOP needs 216 votes for a simple majority to pass the bill in the House, so that means they can afford to lose 21 votes and the bill still passes.
I definitely don’t think it’s a good sign that the vote was pushed until the morning. Those numbers agree. By the time this article comes out, we’ll already have an answer.
One aspect of the bill that has gained considerable media coverage is the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Some supporters claim they don’t want their tax dollars going to fund abortion. The Hyde Amendment of 1976 effectively prevents Planned Parenthood’s federal funding from covering abortions. Let me say this again: YOUR TAX DOLLARS DO NOT SUPPORT PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S ABORTION SERVICES. Why do more people not know this?
Other supporters argue that they don’t want their tax dollars going to services that they won’t be using—a valid point if you will never need Planned Parenthood’s mammograms, STD screenings, check ups, etc. But if you’re going to support defunding a private organization such as Planned Parenthood, you should support defunding all private organizations, not just PP. Otherwise, your argument loses merit and is full of hypocrisy.
What I really find interesting is that, at the same time Republicans are trying to defend federal funding to a private organization, most have supported the appointment of Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. DeVos is a supporter of school vouchers. A school voucher is a certificate of government funding given to a student at school chosen by the student or the students parents. They’re sometimes referred to as opportunity scholarships, because they’re state-funded scholarships that pay for students to attend private school rather than public school. In simpler terms, it’s the government giving families money off private school education. It’s government funding private institutions. What makes this extremely unsettling is that these private schools don’t have to offer equal opportunity education—they don’t have to follow IEP or 504 plans, specialized terms for students with special needs. They don’t have to honor this. Let me explain this again. The Republican Party largely wants to defund Planned Parenthood because it is a private organization getting government funding. At the same time, most party members have stood by the appointment of a Secretary of Education who believes in a system that gives government funding to families attending private schools where equal opportunity education is not supported. Is anyone else catching on to how messed up this is?
It’s almost as hypocritical as calling yourself “pro life” but not supporting making rehab facilities supported by all insurances, making it more affordable, supporting welfare programs, prison reform, the list goes on. Because calling yourself “Pro Life” but not supporting those causes is not “Pro Life”. If you’re going to be Pro Life, be Pro LIFE, not pro FETUS.
These issues are just a few that have repeatedly been coming up as I’m sitting in my political science classes, balancing between what we’re learning and what is going on in our actual government. As I conclude this article, I hope the points raised encourage you to read more into politics and ask yourself questions as you’re reading the news. It’s fair to say both parties have their flaws, and both parties ideological views often line up as hypocritical, but for the events going on at this point in time, do your research on the party in the most power.
