On the recordMay 2, 2017
On taxes, Mr. President, yesterday, Secretary Mnuchin, in an appearance at the Milken Institute Conference, admitted that the administration plans to go it alone on taxes. He said they are trying to design their proposal to fit into the rules of reconciliation so they need only Republican votes to pass their tax cut. The message was clear as day. The President is not interested in working with Democrats to craft a proposal that both parties can support. He is just going to pass his plan with Republican votes or not pass it at all. What that means is that the Trump tax plan likely will not have to change much from the 200-word outline that they put out last week, and that means the Trump tax plan will benefit the incredibly wealthy and the special interests while leaving the middle- class, working Americans with crumbs, at best. We Democrats support tax relief, so long as it is aimed at the middle class and those struggling to get there. Those are the folks who really need the help. College is getting ever more expensive. Take-home pay is being squeezed in so many different directions. The middle class and those working to get there should be able to keep more of what they make, but the Trump tax plan seems designed to benefit his Cabinet and the incredibly wealthy on Wall Street, not Main Street and the middle class. There are many wealthy people doing very well in America. God bless them. Their lifestyles are getting better every year.…
