CSR "Crash and Burn" and Roll Back Curbs on Civil-Asset Forfeiture

Let CSR "Crash and Burn"
In late June, Trump press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that President Trump would continue CSR (cost-sharing reduction payments) but only on a monthly basis. These payments partially subsidize deductions and co-payments for more than seven million low-income persons. Spicer argued that if Trump promised to pay the subsidies long-term, it would "prop up a failed system."

On June 26, Trump tweeted a threat to let "Ocare crash and burn!" On the same day, he tweeted: "Republican Senators are working very hard to get there, without help from the Democrats. Not easy! Perhaps just let OCare crash and burn!" In an interview with The Economist in May, Trump said: There is no Obamacare, it's dead. Plus we're subsidizing it and we don't have to subsidize it. You know if I ever stop wanting to pay the subsidies, which I will." "Anything I want!"

Civil-Asset Forfeiture Curbs Rolled Back
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rolled back Obama-era curbs on civil-asset forfeiture, describing it as a "key tool that helps law enforcement defund organizing crime, take back ill-gotten gains, and prevent new crimes from being committed."

The Department of Justice inspector general's report in April found that federal forfeiture programs had taken in $28 billion over the past decade, and the Washington Post reported that civil-forfeiture seizures nationwide in 2015 surpassed the collective losses from all burglaries that same year. The inspector general's report also found that half of the Drug Enforcement Agency's forfeiture income wasn't tied to any broader law-enforcement purpose.

Kanya Bennett, a legislative counsel for the ACLU, said: "Civil-asset forfeiture is testament to policing for profit, generating millions of dollars annually that the agencies get to keep." Darpana Sheth, a senior attorney at the libertarian nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice, said: "The only safeguard to protect Americans from civil forfeiture is to eliminate its use altogether." "The Department of Justice's supposed safeguards amount to little more than window dressing of an  outrageous abuse of power."

ADDENDUMS:
*Trump (July 18 tweet): "As I have always said, let Obamacare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!"

*The U.S. 2015 per capita healthcare expenditures were more than double those of the following countries: Canada, France, Australia, Japan, Britain, Italy and the OECD average.

*The latest CBO score of the Better Care Reconciliation Act says 32 million would lose health insurance by 2026 and average premiums would increase by 25 percent initially and double over the long-term.

*Trump is considering a crackdown on imported steel. Opponents say it could lead to job losses, a fight at the World Trade Organization, and possible trade wars.