here we are at the start of a new year. Last year, the Republican majority decided to dedicate the year to government by and for the powerful and the privileged, but how about this year, 2018? We pay attention to our Constitution, which starts with that vision of government, not for the powerful, not for the rich, not for the privileged, not for the well connected, not for the wealthy but for the people of the United States. It is a vision where power is distributed, and power comes up from each individual citizen to create policies for their general welfare. Last year, we saw this complete dedication to trying to wipe out healthcare for 20 million to 30 million Americans in order to provide tax benefits for the richest. How big were those tax benefits? Well, if you add up the provisions that are dedicated to the powerful corporations and those benefits for the wealthiest 10 percent, and most of that goes to the wealthiest 1 percent, those provisions stack up to over $2 trillion--$2 trillion. It is very hard to get your hands around $2 trillion. Those are not numbers we use in ordinary conversation. Let's take that down to the amount of money per man, woman, and child--per citizen in America. Well, that is about $6,000--$6,000 taken from the community funds for every man, woman, and child in America to deliver to the wealthiest Americans. That was government by the Republican majority in 2017.…
On the recordJanuary 10, 2018
Share
More from Jeff Merkley
Aug 5, 2026
Americans who have serious health conditions—including those who are awaiting trial—need access to quality health care and can’t afford to be kicked off of those benefits.
Aug 1, 2026
The American people deserve to have a government that works for them—not one that is willing to push energy prices even higher and put the country’s energy security at grave risk.
Aug 7, 2026
Trump’s illegal war with Iran has cost us dearly, and now he’s trying to rewrite history to better serve his agenda.
Aug 1, 2026
Now that court documents have confirmed what we knew to be true, we write to demand that you restore previously awarded funding that the Trump Administration has weaponized in an attempt to punish perceived political enemies.





