Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was taken to task by fact checkers for claiming that every taxpayer will get a tax cut.
Video of Ryan making the false statement that every taxpayer will get a tax cut:
After The Washington Post contacted Ryan’s office to point out that not every taxpayer would get a tax cut, the Speaker changed his language to the average person in every tax bracket will get a tax cut.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
That doesn’t quite has the same heft, and it also doesn’t acknowledge the reality that at least 30% of taxpayers are going to see their taxes go up.
The Post let Ryan have it, “Still, on at least three occasions over three days, Ryan spoke in sweeping terms that flatly stated every taxpayer would get a tax cut. That’s wrong and misleading, and ordinarily worthy of Four Pinocchios. Even if one assumes that all of the tax provisions remain in place — a big assumption — millions of Americans will still see a tax hike, even if the average person in their income range might receive a tax cut. In the case of married families with children — whom Republicans are assiduously wooing as beneficiaries of their plan — about 40 percent are estimated to receive tax hikes by 2027, even if the provisions are retained. That would be a nasty surprise for folks who had heard Ryan’s less-precise spin.”
Ryan, Trump, and the rest of the GOP are lying about this tax cut plan. It is a bill that is designed to shift wealth to rich and corporations. It is not intended to help or assist middle or lower class people in any way. When a politician has to lie about what is in a bill, it is a bad bill.
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Every taxpayer is not going to get a tax cut. To pay for those tax cuts for the rich someone is going to have to pay more, and those who are going to be paying more are the taxpayers who can least afford it. Ryan also plans to pay for his tax cuts by gutting Social Security and Medicare, so it is possible that not only will your taxes go up, but the social safety net could be gutted.
The truth is getting out, which is why the Republican lies are getting more extreme in their bid to sell a bad bill to millions of good people.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
