Political Quotes

“I wish to speak about the so-called Republican tax reform bill. When it comes to revising our tax system, I assumed there were two things my Republican colleagues would agree with me on. First, that tax reform doesn't increase taxes for middle-class families and, second, that tax reform wouldn't balloon the deficit. Unfortunately, I was wrong on both counts. The bill that is before us does both of those things. Candidly, I'm surprised that anyone can even call this bill tax reform with a straight face. I think it is clear to all of us and to the American people that this bill is nothing more than a windfall tax cut for big corporations and rich Americans. There were no hearings on this bill with outside groups. There was no transparency in the drafting of this bill, and much like the healthcare debacle, the result is a mess that not even all Republicans are supporting. This bill would blow a $1.4 trillion hole in our deficit. This bill would raise taxes on many working families by gutting important deductions like for State and local taxes. This bill would leave 13 million Americans without health insurance. This bill even has riders in it to allow drilling in pristine areas of the Alaskan wilderness. The bill takes all of these destructive actions just to put more money in the pockets of corporations and the richest Americans. This bill is one of the most fiscally irresponsible bills I have seen in quite some time.…”