Senator Robert Byrd died on June 28, 2010. His legacy will affect the healthcare debacle in Washington today. His efforts will prevent Republicans from removing healthcare for 32 million Americans planned by Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.

In 1990 the ‘Byrd Rule’ became law. It clearly describes how congress is allowed to use and redirect funds for use based upon the exact repercussions of actions by congress.

“Reconciliation legislation must only involve budget-related changes and cannot include policies that have no fiscal impact, that have “merely incidental” fiscal impacts, or that increase the deficit if the committee did not follow its reconciliation instructions (including proposals outside of a committee’s proper jurisdiction—more on this below). Second, reconciliation bills cannot change Social Security spending or dedicated revenue, which are considered “off-budget.” And finally, provisions in a reconciliation bill cannot increase the deficit in any fiscal year after the window of the reconciliation bill (usually ten years in the future) unless the costs outside the budget window are offset by other savings in the bill.”

This long and somewhat confusing rule is simply defined as anything which is revenue involved cannot become law without changes to the current regulatory considerations. In other words, Republicans cannot attach reductions in Medicaid to their attempt to destroy healthcare for 32 million Americans.

For over eight years McConnell ordered his party to do nothing. The consequences of that strategy have now come to fruition. GOP politicians no longer have the ability to govern, and have forgotten that the rule of law applies in situations they do not understand or support.

It was easy for Trump to make campaign promises without offering a viable solution for those promises. He had none. He is an unqualified and ignorant man who lacks any understanding about how government functions. Sadly, hypocrites in the Republican Party are surrendering to his vile and implausible demands. Washington has become more dysfunctional since Trump’s minuscule inauguration. He is unfit to claim the title of ‘President of the United States.’

Nothing positive will ever be accomplished by Trump and his circle of sinners. He is the ‘president of destruction’ and will be the reason why America has already lost its relevance in the free world. Trump is the reason why a ‘basket of deplorables’ now controls our nation’s future.

Please re-post; thank you.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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