What would you do with America’s budget?
How would you help ensure Americans can get the quality, affordable health coverage they need?
Repeal the Affordable Care Act
OR
Continue to support the Affordable Care Act
While Congressional Republicans seem to favor this approach — having tried to repeal or undermine the ACA more than 50 times – it’s not one that will actually deliver the results you’re looking for. If you repeal the ACA, and cut Medicaid, 16 million Americans could lose health coverage they have now, and millions more will lose out on the new benefits under the ACA in the future. These benefits include free preventive services like cancer screenings.
Especially since the ACA has already helped deliver affordable, quality health coverage to more than 16 million Americans and counting. What’s more, if the 22 states who haven’t expanded Medicaid took advantage of that opportunity under the ACA, nearly 5 million more Americans would get the insurance they desperately need. In short, the ACA is working and we should stick with what works.
America’s resurgence is real, with American businesses adding 12 million jobs over the last 60 months. What’s one way you would help ensure all Americans share in the recovery, not just the wealthy few?
Cut taxes for middle-class families and close loopholes for the wealthy few.
OR
Cut taxes for millionaires and raise taxes for families and students.
Over the last few decades, wealth inequality has risen to levels not seen since before the Great Depression. And yet, over that same time, tax rates fell for the top 1%. One way to help ensure everyone shares in our economic recovery is to simplify our complex tax code in a way that provides 44 million working families with an average tax cut of nearly $600. That’s the President’s proposal, and he’d pay for it by closing loopholes that let the wealthy avoid paying their fair share.
Over the last few decades, wealth inequality has risen to levels not seen since before the Great Depression. And yet, over that same time, tax rates fell for the top 1%. So creating even more tax cuts for the wealthiest few may not be the best way to support middle-class Americans. But that’s a fact Congressional Republicans seem happy to ignore, proposing a budget that cuts taxes for the average millionaire by more than $50,000 and raises taxes for 26 million working families and students.
A growing share of good-paying jobs require a college degree, but too many students are priced out of a higher education. How would you make college more affordable for millions of students?
Cut need-based college assistance for students
OR
Invest in need-based college assistance for students
Actually, cutting need-based college assistance for students — like Pell Grants — will hurt, not help, students in their efforts to afford college and pursue their dreams. That’s why it’s so disappointing that under the House Republican budget, more than 8 million students would see cuts to the Pell Grants they rely on to pay for college.
Good news, President Obama agrees with you! That is why his budget ensures that Pell Grants keep up with the cost of living so more hardworking students can afford to go to college. In fact, under his leadership, the number of students getting help from Pell Grants to go to college is up significantly, providing college access to millions more low-income and middle-class students across the country.
Educating every American student so they graduate from high school prepared for college is a national imperative. How would you ensure that preK-12 schools have the resources they need to ensure student success?
Cut billions from preK-12 education funding for students and teachers
OR
Invest an additional $2.7 billion in preK-12 education funding for students and teachers
In the end, this is not a great way to go. Schools across the country are already struggling under strapped budgets and further cuts would leave students without the resources, and even teachers, they need to graduate and be ready for college or a career. Unfortunately, the House GOP budget makes $3.1 billion in cuts to education funding, which will force schools across the country to make even harder decisions that will leave thousands of kids at a disadvantage.
This is the best way to ensure American students make it out of high school and through the college gates fully prepared to succeed in their education and in a career. That is why President Obama’s budget includes a 2.7 billion investment in preK-12 education funding that will give students and teachers the support they need and move us closer to our goal of leading the world in college completion by the year 2020.
Early childhood learning is critical to shaping the skills that a child needs to succeed in school and in life. But states across the country are cutting back on early childhood education. How would you help ensure children get the head start they need?
Force more than 35,000 kids off of critical early childhood programs like Head Start
OR
Invest an additional 2.1 billion in early childhood education programs across the country
You likely chose this answer just to see what we’d say about a decision to put thousands of vulnerable kids at further disadvantage – or you’re a House Republican. Because that’s exactly what their budget cuts to early education will do: Leave more than 35,000 kids without access to Head Start, a program proven to help children succeed in school and beyond.
It’s one of the smartest investments that we can make, so great decision. It’s why President Obama wants to expand access to high-quality preschool and early learning, and why it’s a priority in his budget.
If your goal is to help America tackle the challenges we face together and the progress we’ve made together, the choice is clear: You have to invest in our future, not jeopardize it with drastic funding cuts and unfair tax loopholes that privilege the wealthy few at the expense of America’s middle class.
Share this quiz with your friends and family so they can see just what’s at stake and the difference we can make if we do what works.