As the Senate Finance Committee was marking up the Republican tax cut bill, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) caused Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to explode with rage by telling Republicans that this tax cut isn’t really for the middle class. It’s for the rich, and Republicans should drop the sarcasm and tell the truth about the tax cut.
Video:
Pretty remarkable exchange between Brown and Hatch last night. Brown goes off: “This tax cut really is not for the middle class, it’s for the rich… spare us the sarcasm and the satire and let’s move on.†(via ABC) pic.twitter.com/ZQnktHZjNH
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 17, 2017
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Sen. Brown said, “I think it would be nice just tonight before we go home to just acknowledge that this tax cut really is not for the middle class, it’s for the rich, and that whole thing about higher wages, well, it’s a good selling point, but we know companies just don’t give away higher wages. They just don’t give away higher wages just because they have more money. Corporations are sitting on a lot of money now. They’re sitting on a lot of profits now. I don’t see wages going up, so just spare us the bank shots, spare us the sarcasm and the satire.â€
It was clear that Brown hit a nerve with committee chair Orrin Hatch who immediately claimed that came from the poor people, and he’s been working his whole “stinking career” for people who don’t have a chance. Hatch also claimed that he was sick and tired of Democrats pointing that Republicans enact policies, like these tax cuts where the vast majority of the benefit goes to the rich. Hatch went on to lose his temper and call the truth “crap.” Hatch then really lost his temper, “I come from the lower middle class originally. We didn’t have anything.”
Brown struck a nerve. Republicans don’t want to talk about how this tax cut is for the richest Americans. They don’t want to talk about how their benefit the wealthy and corporations. They don’t want to admit that the trickle-down tax cut fairy is not real.
Democrats need to keep pushing hard and exposing the truth about these cuts because Republicans can’t take the heat that comes with this reality.
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
