On The Trail

ON THE BALLOT: HEALTH CARE
A new Daily Beast article highlights the continued attempts by Republican AGs to take health care away from 20 million Americans, and the current coronavirus pandemic hasn’t slowed their attack. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading an effort with 17 Republican AGs to overturn the Affordable Care Act. According to the article, “it’s unclear how long the coronavirus public health emergency will last, but it’s widely accepted that the U.S. will be dealing with its fallout for months, if not years, after it tapers off.” California AG Xavier Becerra, who is leading the Dem AG defense of the ACA, said that “no one should want to risk access to public health” in the new reality created by the COVID-19 outbreak. Read more here in the Daily Beast about the Republican efforts to undo the ACA.

BONUS: California AG Xavier Becerra joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others to kick off Health Care Voter’s nationwide digital town hall series, Our Lives on the Line, to discuss the importance of protecting health care, especially as our nation combats Coronavirus. Watch the town hall here!

For a look at what Democratic AG candidates are doing to help their communities and states through the COVID-19 crisis, see this note.

MULTI-STATE MOMENTS!

STOPPING SCAMMERS
Democratic AGs across the country are waging a battle against scammers who are attempting to illegally profit off of the coronavirus pandemic. California AG Xavier Becerra has received complaints about sham charities and other internet scams across California. He says his office will pursue people who are violating the law. Massachusetts AG Maura Healey also said that her office has seen a steady rise in complaints over the last few weeks. “Just yesterday my office saw on Instagram a post by a company that said it was selling Vitamin C IV treatments for coronavirus. And, you know, we immediately got in touch with the company, sent a cease and desist letter. And they took it down,” she said in an interview with NPR. AG Healey and other Democratic AGs are encouraging consumers to report instances of fraud to law enforcement to their offices. Read more about AG Becerra and AG Healey’s responses to these scams here in NPR.

For more on the work Democratic AGs are doing to combat COVID-19, see this note.

PROTECTING THE PLANET
This week, the Trump Administration weakened requirements for the nation’s fuel-efficiency standards, in one of Trump’s most anti-environmental rule changes to date. California AG Xavier Becerra tweeted that this attack on public health and the environment was “one of his deadliest climate rollbacks yet.” Democratic AGs have taken over 300 major actions on climate change and continue to lead the effort to protect our environment. Read more about the latest rollback in the Los Angeles Times here!

PROTECTING ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES
A coalition of 8 Democratic AGs asked a federal court to immediately rule on a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration over a rule that would make abortion more expensive and require insurance companies to send confusing medical bills. “As states across the nation take unlawful actions and use the coronavirus as an excuse to deny women their constitutional right to an abortion, it’s more important than ever that the federal government stops its attack on women’s reproductive rights,” New York AG Tish James said.

AG SPOTLIGHT

STAYING SAFE, STOPPING SCAMMERS
Michigan AG Dana Nessel is keeping busy during her state’s Stay Safe, Stay Home order. This week, AG Nessel made sure that Michiganders were informed and up-to-date on the newest developments in their state’s response to COVID-19, while also celebrating family birthdays and taking 270 pictures of her cats. AG Nessel took to Twitter this week to address Michiganders’ concerns over employment and non-essential businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. Concerned workers sent her replies and DMs with questions relating to out-of-state suppliers, essential businesses, and hazard pay for essential workers. AG Nessel also published a general Q&A video about what to do during the Stay Safe, Stay Home order. 

HANGING UP ON ROBOCALLS
North Carolina AG Josh Stein is encouraging consumers in his state to take extra precautions during the COVID-19 outbreak. AG Stein said his office has received information from federal agencies about robocalls offering bogus miracle cures, phony charities, false updates from government authorities, and home cleaning that scammers claim will reduce the risk of catching COVID-19. To report a scam, AG Stein’s office is urging consumers to call (877) 5-NO-SCAM.

PA CARE PACKAGES
On Monday, Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro announced the PA CARE Package initiative to provide much-needed relief to Pennsylvanian consumers. The PA CARE Package expands on the CARES Act, the federal relief law, to offer important protections to small businesses and Pennsylvanians facing financial hardships through partnerships with banks and financial institutions. Read more about the program and the benefits that it will provide to Pennsylvania amid the COVID-19 pandemic here.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

On Tuesday night, California AG Xavier Becerra joined the organization Health Care Voter for a nationwide digital town hall. During the town hall, AG Becerra spoke about the importance of access to affordable health care and addressed how we should lower the cost of prescription drugs. Watch the full town hall recording here on Facebook.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Scam artists are trying to take advantage of the COVID-19 outbreak to make a profit. Thankfully, Democratic AGs across the country are looking out for consumers. Check out this informational video from DAGA.