Wendy Sherman: “We do not know what is in that tax bill. As I understand it, there is no Democrat in the room where the tax bill is…”

“We do not know what is in that tax bill. As I understand it, there is no Democrat in the room where the tax bill is being written, although they call it a conference committee. But we do know that when they emerge, one-third to one-half the benefits will go to income tax reductions to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. That is not in return for that group or any other group investing in clean coal or conservation; that is just a tax cut. So while the President's plan calls for tax credits for conservation, for renewables, there is nothing in the tax bill that provides the tax credits that the President does the press conference about. That is why perhaps the real view of this administration, one that they have back-peddled from when it hit a fire storm, but their view was reflected in the comments well-known by the Vice President when he said, conservation may be a personal virtue, but it is not the sufficient basis for a comprehensive energy policy. I think we need to respond. And that is, excessive energy company profits and environmental despoliation and destruction is not a sufficient basis for a comprehensive energy policy.”