ALERT: DFA Warning New TPP Provision Would Cut Medicare $700 Million

[red dog 1]

Daily Kos,
May 16, 2015

ALERT: DFA Warning: New TPP Provision Would Cut Medicare $700 Million to Help Pay for Trade Aid

Just received a mailing today from Democracy for America with an alert that a new provision in the pending TPP Trade Bill, inserted by the GOP of course, would cut $700 million from Medicare to pay the cost of a Democrat-backed proposal to provide aid to workers who lose their jobs because of TPP.


Here's part of the DFA message and a link to their petition:

"I didn't think it was possible -- but the Trans-Pacific Partnership just got a lot worse.
There's a big --brand new -- attack on Medicare that's just been added in the Senate to the Fast Track bill for the TPP.
The bill would cut a whooping $700 million from Medicare, hurting seniors who need access to health care.

That's right, Republicans insisted on cutting Medicare spending to pay for a Trade Adjusting Assistance program that Democrats got added to the bill in order to support workers who lost their jobs due to trade deals like the TPP.

This is ridiculous!
If Senators are concerned about the impact of the TPP on jobs, then they should reject the Fast track bill that makes it possible -- especially if the plan to pay for it comes out of the pockets of seniors who rely on Medicare to survive.

The Senate is about to vote again on Fast Track for the TPP.
President Obama is pressuring Democrats to vote for it, even with this cut to Medicare.
We have just a few days to stop them."


Sign our petition:
(Link to Democracy for America petition at the following link)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/16/1385285/-ALERT-DFA-Warning-New-TPP-Provision-Would-Cut-Medicare-700-Million-to-Help-Pay-for-Trade-Aid


Equally beneficial, get in touch with your senators' offices now and tell them not to support TPP in general, but especially if uses seniors' benefits to pay for it.

Count on the GOP....if they can screw American workers AND seniors in a single move, they'll jump at the chance.

[DURHAM D]

1. Am I reading this right?

They are stealing from Medicare to pay unemployment.

[red dog 1]

5. You are reading it exactly right.

and Obama wants Senate Dems to pass it

[shraby]

2. 1/3 of that money to pay for the unemployment can come from farm subsidies,

1/3 of it can come from oil subsidies, and 1/3 can come from coal subsidies. Nuff said!
If they want to get picky, they can divide it among more corporate subsidies, but ONLY from corporate subsidies.
NOT OLD PEOPLE.

[stuffmatters]

12. Obama could have used this deal to get things like a Wall Strret Tax too

I was thinking of this the other night. The Repubs are wild crazy about passing TPP. If you watched their Finance Comm then Senate floor remarks around the votes, it was pretty apparent that they are all salivating over this TPP monstrosity. Obama knew this. Why didn't he use their tactic to get some real good changes to our business environ: End corp subsidies, put a sales tax on Wall Street, raise the minimum wage to 15/hr...Get some revenue from corps for the revenue that will be lost by increasing trade (worker) deficits for them.

This is the only time I can remember where Obama had the Repubs willing & needing to work with him to get what their overlords wanted. He could have gotten some important things accomplished. The Repub voting block was not at stake. He made the Democrats "the cheap date" in this whole process. They didn't even get a currency manipulation statute attached to the bill.

But no, just raid Medicare to pay for the damage (Nafta on steroids) this TPP turkey will do to our workers and our tax based economy.

[yallerdawg]

3. This is not a done deal.

This is the Republican House version. The Senate begins debate and amendment this week. The Democrats said this is not how it will be funded. First, it had to get 60 votes to debate it and that is where they are now.

[red dog 1]

6. According to Democracy for America,

"There's a brand new attack on Medicare that's just been added in the Senate to the Fast Track bill for the TPP."

[yallerdawg]

7. They attached H.R. 1314 TAA to TPA...

so technically DFA is correct.

But the debate and amendment process is scheduled to begin Monday.

Monday, May 18, 2015

2:00 p.m.: Convene and begin a period of morning business.

Thereafter, resume consideration of H.R.1314, the legislative vehicle for Trade Promotion Authority.

[red dog 1]

11. Thanks for that info

[RDANGELO]

4. So people lose their jobs due to tpp, and where does that money go -

The top one percent, that's where. But of course the money is never going to come back from them.

[appalachiablue]

9. The Money Trickles UP, Never Down as Will Rogers said in 1932 about Hoover-

[onecaliberal]

10. Jezuz Christ

Where does it end?!?

[red dog 1]

13. Good question!

[stuffmatters]

14. Sadly alligning with "Govt hands of my medicare" style House Reps is last,best hope

In the Senate they now only need 50 votes & all but one Repub is for this. I have no reason to believe they'll be less than monolithic now in passing this without amendments by 50 votes in the Senate.