Political Quotes

On the recordNovember 30, 2017
yet another terrible provision in this bill is the dynasty loophole. Now, in a bill that the Republicans are saying is targeted at the middle class, why would you give $269 billion to the richest 0.2 percent of Americans? Envision a room with 1,000 people in it, pick out the 2 richest people, and give them $269 billion. That is what this bill does. Now, this dynasty loophole is a way for the richest Americans to bypass ever paying capital gains, as they pass their wealth from one generation to the next. It is an enormous tax dodge, but if you or I sell a property while we are alive, we have to pay capital gains on it. The rich don't need to sell property over the course of their lives; they can simply hold it to the end of their life and pass it on to the next generation, never paying capital gains, and the next generation gets it marked up to market rate so that can never be recovered. What we are talking about here is a principle that the early American Founders really detested. They had seen in Europe that very rich families could pass on wealth from one generation to the next and could control power in the country. That was the vision of government by and for the powerful, accentuated by the passage of vast wealth from one generation to the next. The Americans said: No. We want a different form of government, one which empowers decisions to make every family thrive; give them a chance, every family, to succeed.…
Said by
Jeff Merkley
Democratic · Oregon
Source
govinfo.gov
Nov 30, 2017

Share

More from Jeff Merkley

Aug 6, 2026

At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, healthcare, and childcare, Congress cannot throw hundreds of billions of dollars at Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet.’

commondreams.org
Jul 31, 2026

This is a five-alarm fire. It’s wrong under every moral code.

commondreams.org
Aug 14, 2026

If we don't repair the Constitution, we don't have a republic.

reason.com
Aug 1, 2026

This federal investment in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Clinic will strengthen the clinic’s infrastructure—creating a safer and more energy efficient space for patients and providers in the years to come.

wyden.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation