HB2, Health Care Lessons, Tax Reform, and More

1. Roy Cooper’s HB2 Bait-and-Switch

Roosevelt Senior Associate Nehemiah Rolle writes that by passing an HB2 “replacement” bill that bars government entities from enacting trans-inclusive restroom policies and prohibits anti-discrimination ordinances until 2020, North Carolina’s Democratic governor sold out the communities that rallied to elect him.

2. Lessons Learned from the AHCA Debacle

After last week’s stunning failure of the GOP’s first real effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, Roosevelt Fellow Mike Konczal highlights four lessons about the weakness of the Republican Party, the effectiveness of activism and universalism, and how conservative wonks lost their way.

3. Taking on Tax Reform

As Republicans shift gears to tax reform, Roosevelt Senior Economist Marshall Steinbaum tells Salon’s Amanda Marcotte that there’s no empirical basis for thinking corporate tax cuts are a good idea. And in a pair of new posts, Program Manager Eric Harris Bernstein defends his and Marshall’s recent paper on tax reform from a conservative economist who’s behind the times.

4. Trump, Tariffs, and Travel Bans

Roosevelt Fellow Todd Tucker analyzes the latest trade news from the White House, including leaked NAFTA plans, new executive orders, and the complicated politics and strategic benefits of tariffs. Plus, at Duck of Minerva, Todd looks at the evolving role of context in legal decisions like the one that struck down Trump’s Muslim ban.

5. Roosevelt Welcomes a New Visiting Fellow

Rohit Chopra, widely recognized as a leading expert on America’s broken student loan system, has joined our growing roster of thinkers and reformers. In 2010, Rohit helped Elizabeth Warren to launch the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, later serving as its Assistant Director from 2011 to 2015. Find out more here.

What We’re Reading:

As a bill that would make it easier for states to deny funding to Planned Parenthood makes its way to Donald Trump’s desk thanks to a tie-breaking vote by VP Mike Pence, Romper’s Andrea Frazier looks at the real consequences the law will have for families.

Events:

On April 3 beginning at 6:30 p.m., Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong will moderate a CUNY Graduate Center panel on the fragile social safety net, featuring NYC Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, Russell Sage Foundation President Sheldon Danzinger, Graduate Center Professor Janet Gornick, and AEI’s Michael R. Strain. The event will be livestreamed.