Washington, D.C. — A new analysis from the Center for American Progress looks at the ways the coronavirus crisis has been exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s deregulatory agenda. The column focuses on four areas where President Trump’s deregulatory actions have been particularly harmful:
- Dismantling the Affordable Care Act (ACA): Under President Trump, the number of uninsured people has increased for the first time in ten years. Also, even in the midst of a pandemic, Trump’s Department of Justice is actively backing a lawsuit to repeal the ACA , which would cause 20 million Americans to lose coverage and 135 million Americans with preexisting conditions to lose protections against discrimination by insurance companies.
- Leaving key public health positions in the administration unfilled for years: President Trump notoriously closed the National Security Council’s global pandemic office. The role of the global pandemic director has been left unfilled for over two years after the last one was reportedly “pushed out” by the Trump administration.
- Slashing funding for critical public health and infections disease programs: Each of the Trump administration’s budget proposals has recommended slashing funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the administration is still proposing to cut the CDC budget by $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2021.
- Dismantling programs that uphold basic living standards: The Trump administration agreed to suspend temporarily the rules it implemented that make it more difficult for people to access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but its hostility toward this critical safety net program could deepen the recession for working-class Americans after the public health emergency has been lifted.
“The Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda has made the economic and public health crisis worse,” said Ryan Zamarripa, associate director of Economic Policy at CAP and co-author of the column. “President Trump’s assault on government workers, programs, and agencies has made the government less able to carry out its essential function. During this profound national crisis, the government has an important role to play in saving lives and preserving livelihoods.”
Read the column: “How the Trump Administration’s Deregulation Agenda Has Worsened the Coronavirus Crisis” by Ryan Zamarripa and Galen Hendricks
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].
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