Political Quotes

On the recordDecember 10, 2010
Clearly, we have a number of Republicans who want to make that extension permanent. Whether it will ever be made permanent I don't know. But the point is, when you hear folks say it is only a 2-year extension, I suggest you take that with a grain of salt. Let me say, if in fact we do what the Republicans have wanted to do right now as we enter this debate--they wanted a 10-year extension--that would add $700 billion to our national debt. I have four kids and I have six grandchildren. None of them has a whole lot of money. I think it is grossly unfair to ask my kids and grandchildren and the children all over this country to be paying higher taxes in order to provide tax breaks for billionaires because we have driven up the national debt. That is plain wrong. I think the vast majority of the American people, whether they are progressives like myself or whether they are conservatives, perceive that concept of giving tax breaks to billionaires when we have such a high national debt makes no sense at all.
Said by
Bernie Sanders
Independent · Vermont
Source
govinfo.gov
Dec 10, 2010

Editor's note · Context

Sanders addresses the implications of extending tax breaks for the wealthy amid rising national debt.

Share

More from Bernie Sanders

Aug 12, 2026

At a time when 15 million Americans are being thrown off the healthcare they have and 20 million Americans have already seen their premiums double, on average, as a result of Trump’s so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ we need Medicare for All…

sanders.senate.gov
Aug 20, 2026

She understands, as I do, that healthcare is a human right, that no one working full time should live in poverty, and that billionaires must finally pay their fair share of taxes.

floridaphoenix.com
Aug 20, 2026

She has been a champion for canceling medical debt, expanding childcare, guaranteeing paid family leave, and building an economy that works for the many, not the few.

floridaphoenix.com
Aug 12, 2026

Last month, the world found out OpenAI lost control of an AI model. The result? The model hacked into another company’s computers—a clear violation of federal law.

salon.com

Other voices in this conversation