PoliticusUSA is truly independent news because of you. Please support our work by becoming a subscriber.
The final vote in the House Ways and Means Committee was 26-19 to advance the Trump tax cuts for the rich, but according to Rep. John Larson (D-CT), Democrats spent hours trying to get tax cuts for people who aren’t rich.
Rep. John Larson (D-CT) said:
For hours, my Democratic colleagues and I proposed amendments to address the real issues facing families and seniors – from Social Security to health care premiums and President Trump’s cost-raising tariffs. Republicans shot down each and every one of them, remaining laser-focused on cutting taxes for billionaires by slashing programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
They voted in lockstep to block my amendment that would enhance Social Security for the first time in more than 50 years and end taxation on Social Security benefits, going back on President Trump’s promise to the American people. Americans must continue to speak up and make their voices heard. It will only take a handful of House Republicans joining Democrats to defeat this devastating bill when it comes to the floor for a vote.
Here is a list of some of the Democratic amendments that Republicans rejected:
What Democrats did during the markup hearing was take their pound of political flesh. If House Republicans are going to focus on slashing programs for everyone else and giving the money to the wealthiest people in the country, Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee wanted to make sure that Republicans were forced to vote against the interests of the majority of their constituents to get there.
The House is straight majority rule, so unless Republicans voted against their own legislation, it was going to pass. Democrats couldn’t stop it, but they did make it difficult and painful for the majority.
This legislation is still in the very early stages of the process.
Even if House Republicans pass their version of the bill in two weeks, Senate Republicans will make substantial changes that will require the House to vote on the Senate version. Then, negotiations will likely have to occur to merge the two bills into a final bill, and final legislation will also have to be voted on in the House and Senate.
There are still a lot of ways that this legislation could fall apart, but Republicans pressed forward with their agenda of only caring about rich people, and Democrats have enough material that could cost them the House majority next year.
What do you think about Democrats getting Republicans on the record? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
