On the recordDecember 19, 2017
As a member of the Budget Committee, I rise in strong and unyielding opposition to the Conference Report for H.R. 1, the so-called ``Tax Cut and Jobs Act,'' which more accurately should be called the ``Republican Tax Scam Act.'' With this Conference Report House and Senate Republicans have pulled off a near-impossible feat: they have taken a bad bill and made it worse, much worse. I oppose this cruel and immoral $1.7 trillion tax giveaway to wealthy corporations and the top one percent because it raises taxes on poor, working, and middle class families; explodes the deficit by adding an additional $2.2 trillion over ten years; and will require an estimated $5.4 trillion cut in funding for the programs ordinary Americans depend on for health security, educational opportunity, and economic progress. Mr. Speaker, Americans are not fooled; they know trickle-down economics has never worked, and they see right through this phony tax plan and recognize it for the scam that it is. That is why Americans reject this Republican tax giveaway by an overwhelming 2:1 margin. Here are just a few of the myriad reasons why this Republican Tax Scam is by far the most unpopular tax measure ever considered by the Congress: 1. Raises taxes on 86 million middle class families; 2. Gives 83 percent of the tax cuts to the wealthiest 1 percent and explodes deficit by $1.7 trillion; 3.…
