No Decency, No John McCain Moments
The first half of 2017 felt much like the first half of this year. The Trump White House, along with a Republican-controlled Senate and House, was racing to enact policies that would take the country on a fundamentally different path than that of its Democratic predecessor. The key difference between 2017 and 2025 is that a small handful of Republicans were still willing to occasionally stand up to Trump and serve as the guardrails of our democracy in his first term.
I was working in the Senate on July 28, 2017, when, in the early morning, Senator John McCain gave his infamous “thumbs down” to kill Trump’s “skinny” repeal of the Affordable Care Act, saving healthcare for millions of Americans. Even as Sen. McCain walked toward the well of the Senate, no one knew how he was going to vote. When he voted to oppose the repeal and ultimately defeat the bill, McCain was quiet – indicating his “no” vote with a jarring thumbs down – but gasps from multiple senators, on both sides of the aisle, were audible.
Vice President Pence was in the Senate that evening in 2017, intending to break a 50-50 tie and pass the bill, just as Vice President Vance did on Monday, when the Senate passed Trump’s Big “Beautiful” Bill stripping healthcare from more than ten million Americans. The difference, of course, is that there are no Republicans left to serve as the guardrails in 2025. Even the many Republicans who acknowledge their constituents will suffer, some of whom admit they don’t like the bill, fully acquiesced to Trump’s demands.
Today, the number one crisis impacting American Jews is the same crisis facing all Americans: Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are willing partners in attacks on our democracy, the rule of law, and the social safety net. Today, Republicans voted to deprive approximately 16 million Americans of healthcare, cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid and $300 billion in food assistance, and increasing the national debt by $4 trillion, all in service of Trump, large corporations, and billionaires.
In a recent poll of Jewish Americans, 88% opposed cuts to Medicaid. Opposition to this bill among Jewish voters transcends partisan divides because depriving millions of Americans access to healthcare and food assistance is a direct affront to our core Jewish values. This bill hurts all of us, and it is an egregious betrayal of elected officials’ obligation to serve the best interests of the American people. It appears that most Republicans know this, but unlike John McCain, they are not brave enough to stand up to the bully in the White House who has threatened their political future. They have fully embraced Trump’s indecency, as demonstrated by their acquiescence on this terrible, ugly bill.
This bill will take money away from working and middle-class Americans, transferring wealth to billionaires, while the vast majority of Americans suffer. Devastating cuts to SNAP benefits will make it harder – if not impossible – for many Americans to afford food. Medical costs will be more expensive for all Americans, nursing homes and hospitals will likely shut down, and tens of millions of children will no longer have access to healthcare.
Nearly all Americans will feel the painful impact of this legislation, while the wealthiest billionaires receive tax kickbacks, which will increase our debt by $4 trillion. This comes at a time when our federal debt is already dangerously high, which will lead to increased interest rates and prices. One day before we celebrate our country’s freedom from tyranny, the Republican Party has surrendered to Trump’s authoritarian agenda at the expense of our fundamental American values. It’s shameful, and we at JDCA plan to hold every Republican who supported this bill accountable in the midterms.
That election is 487 days away, but other elections will take place before then. We’re already organizing to ensure Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill win the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey this November – you can join us now by signing up to phone bank here. We also issued a statement on the New York mayoral election, which has national implications.
In the age of Trump, the Republican Party has lost the decency and courage demonstrated by John McCain in 2017, but we refuse to give up hope for our two-party system and our country. On the eve of Independence Day, we’re still fighting for the values and ideals that are the foundation of our country, and are confident we can defend these values by securing victory for Democrats in the midterms, when we will make sure Republicans pay a political price for their support of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill.
Join us and support our efforts today, so we can do even more to flip House seats from red to blue, and support Democratic candidates seeking to defeat Republicans who supported the Big Ugly Bill. In honor of Independence Day, we hope you’ll pitch in to support JDCA’s staunch defense of our values, including the democracy Americans have benefited from for the past 249 years.