Letter to the Editor: No Deal!

In response to the threat to shut down the government next week unless Democrats in Congress vote to fund The Wall in return for minor concessions in a revised health care bill, please ask Rep. Gallagher to speak against this travesty.

First, the rumored revisions in AHCA will not have been vetted by the Office of Budget Management, so legislators are asked to buy a “pig in a poke.” The problems with that bill were far more serious than the proposed concession implies (around 24 million people would have lost their coverage in the last revision). Legislators, regardless of their party, should not be asked to make a bad deal for the American people.

Second, while The Wall attracted a lot of attention in the campaign, it is not a wise policy. In fact, Mexican immigration is at its lowest point in decades, so this is the wrong moment to obsess about it! In fact, because of our increased economic interdependence with Mexico, the wall would have negative consequences for both nations. In addition, because of the interdependent relationship of our intelligence services, it is a bad policy for our security as well. (See “Mexico’s Revenge” by Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 4/2017, 40-45 for details). Further, it does not make sense at any price to sow enmity between neighbors who are finally working effectively together.

Third, the “deal” is being driven to meet a deadline for honoring our debts that has been changed many times, and to meet the administration’s desire to accomplish something tangible in its first 100 days. These reasons are not sufficient to justify making and funding policies that will affect the lives of millions and will likely alienate a rising nation on our border.

Fourth, as we learned the last time the Republicans voted for a shutdown, the federal (non-military) government is made up of two million people, and when they are not allowed to do their work, millions of other people are adversely affected. The economy suffers along with our reputation as a nation.

Tell Rep. Gallagher not to vote for bad deals!

Estella Lauter

Fish Creek, Wis.