Trump Broke His Promises To Protect Michigan Voters

Ahead of his campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan tonight, here’s a look at some of the many broken promises Trump made to Michigan voters to improve their health care, protect their jobs, and bring back manufacturing plants.

 

PROMISE MADE: Trump repeatedly promised Michigan voters that he would create better, more affordable health care.

 

Trump in Michigan: “It’s going to be terminated and it’s going to be replaced with something that’s going to be terrific and a lot less expensive and much better coverage.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Cadillac MI, 3/4/16]

 

Trump in Michigan: “We’re going to save health care for every family in Michigan, for every family in our country. Much less expensive, but better health care. Repeal and replace. We have so many alternatives. So much better. So much less expensive.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Grand Rapids MI, 10/31/16]

PROMISE BROKEN: If Trump’s latest effort to overturn the ACA succeeds, 720,000 people in Michigan could lose their health care coverage, and the law’s pre-existing condition protections would cease to exist.

Washington Post:“Trump Administration Asks Court To Completely Invalidate Obama’s Affordable Care Act.”

 

Urban Institute: The number of people uninsured in Michigan would increase by 720,000, or 114.8 percent, by 2019 under repeal compared to current law.

 

PROMISE BROKEN: Trump expanded the availability of health plans that are exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections.

New York Times: “The Trump administration announced a sweeping new rule on Tuesday that will make it easier for small businesses to band together and set up health insurance plans that skirt many requirements of the Affordable Care Act, offering lower costs but also fewer benefits … The new entities would be exempt from many of the consumer protections mandated by the Affordable Care Act. They may not have to provide certain ‘essential health benefits’ like mental health care, emergency services, maternity and newborn care and prescription drugs.”

 

PROMISE MADE: Trump promised voters in Michigan they would not lose a single auto plant and vowed to bring manufacturing back to the state.

Trump in Michigan: “If I’m elected, you won’t lose one plant, you’ll have plants coming into this country, you’re going to have jobs again, you won’t lose one plant, I promise you that”

 

Trump in Michigan: “You’re not going to lose your jobs anymore. You’re not going to lose your jobs anymore. We are going to bring back the automobile in the state of Michigan bigger, and better, and stronger than ever before.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Grand Rapids MI, 11/7/16]

 

Trump in Michigan: “Your industry in Michigan is going to start up big league again. These car manufacturers, they’re going to build right here now. It’s enough. It’s enough what’s gone on, the stupidity” [Trump Campaign Rally, Grand Rapids, MI, 12/21/15]

PROMISE BROKEN: Since Trump took office, layoffs have been announced at Michigan auto plants despite his promises to bring auto manufacturing back to the state.

Detroit Free Press: “This week, GM confirmed a net loss of 3,500 hourly manufacturing jobs in 2017.”

 

The Detroit News: “General Motors Co.’s salaried job cuts will include the elimination of 1,298 jobs at the Warren Technical Center, according to a filing with the state of Michigan. With those jobs eliminated, the Tech Center will see the most cuts of any GM facility as the company continues a weeks-long process of cutting more than 4,000 salaried jobs.”

 

Detroit Free Press: “General Motors’ decision to eliminate six cars from its product line carries implications for its future profitability and likely will mean job cuts beyond those already in the works, analysts and economists said… The end result is more jobs will have to be eliminated at GM and its engine plants, said Jon Gabrielsen, an economist who consults with automakers and auto suppliers. He said the engine plants most likely to be impacted are in Flint, Romulus and one in New York, as well as two engine component plants, one in Bay City and one in Ohio.”

 

PROMISE MADE: Trump promised the people of Grand Rapids, Michigan that he would bring back “the American dream.”

Trump in Michigan: “There’s an expression about the American dream, remember? And I always talk. The American dream. Wonderful, American dream. The truth is, the American dream is dead. But I’m going to make it bigger, and better, and stronger than ever before.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Grand Rapids, MI, 12/21/15]

PROMISE BROKEN: Under the Trump tax law, the top 1% of Michigan taxpayers are expected to receive 30% of the tax cuts this year while working families will see their tax burden increase by the end of the decade.

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: In 2019, the richest 1% of Michigan taxpayers will receive 30% of the tax cuts under the Republican tax bill.

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: On average, Michigan taxpayers making$34,160 to $63,390 per year would see their taxes increase by $130 under the GOP-Trump bill by 2027.

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: On average, Michigan taxpayers making less than $34,160 per year would see their taxes increase by $120 under the GOP-Trump bill by 2027.

 

PROMISE MADE: Standing in Warren, Michigan, Trump promised to keep companies from moving overseas.

 

Trump in Michigan: “We better be careful, we better be careful, we’re losing our businesses folks…We better be careful, you know, this corporate inversion is really a big problem, but Pfizer is moving and we have a lot of companies…That will all change if I’m president because I’ll know how to do it.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Warren MI, 3/4/16]

Trump in Michigan: “China has taken alone millions of jobs, thousands and thousands of plants and factories. Thousands. You wouldn’t believe that, but then I gave … They actually gave me a number of 50,000. I can’t believe, so I’m not going to say 50,000. I hear 50, but let’s just say thousands, say they’ve taken thousands of plants and businesses. We’re going to stop it. We’re going to stop it.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Warren MI, 3/4/16]

PROMISE BROKEN: Trump’s tax law actually incentivized companies to move jobs offshore.

Washington Post: “But the fine print of the new global minimum tax would make the problem worse, several tax specialists said… First, a corporation would pay that global minimum tax only on profit above a ‘routine’ rate of return on the tangible assets — such as factories — it has overseas. So the more equipment a corporation has in other countries, the more tax-free income it can earn. The legislation thus offers corporations ‘a perverse incentive’ to shift assembly lines abroad, said Steve Rosenthal of the Tax Policy Center.”