Hoyer Discusses the GOP Tax Scam on CNBC
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Press Release
For Immediate Release:
December 21, 2017
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined CNBC's Squawk Box this morning to discuss opposition to Republicans' tax scam. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video:
“As you know, 83% of the $1.5 trillion in deficits will be going to the top 1% in America and 17% to everybody else… What we are really concerned about is the long-term effect of this, the skewing of benefits to the wealthiest in America, the fact that Medicare is going to be exposed to a $25 billion cut next year, and that 13 million Americans are going to lose health care."
"Well, the bill doesn't poll very well, as you know. Only a third of the people think this is going to help them or help our country. So it doesn't poll well, we don’t think it will poll well; but the point is if you're selling a bill for the struggling people who are working day-to-day and week to week... and then you give 83% of the benefits not to them, it's hard to just argue that this is what this bill is about. It's not about that."
"There was a better way if we would have come together for the last month, last 11 months, and worked in a bipartisan way, I think we could have come up with some really good improvements to the Affordable Care Act. But that was never the intention of the Republicans, either on [the ACA] or taxes, which this was the most partisan bill, secret bill, non-transparent bill, rushed to judgment. In stark contrast to the the 1986 tax reform bill where we had hearings and witnesses, over 450 witnesses, and a bipartisan effort between President Reagan and Tip O'Neill, [House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dan] Rostenkowski and [Senate Finance Committee Chair Bob] Packwood. That didn't happen here. I think we're going to find out as the weeks go by that this bill is a very flawed bill not only in substance, but in specifics."
“As you know, 83% of the $1.5 trillion in deficits will be going to the top 1% in America and 17% to everybody else… What we are really concerned about is the long-term effect of this, the skewing of benefits to the wealthiest in America, the fact that Medicare is going to be exposed to a $25 billion cut next year, and that 13 million Americans are going to lose health care."
"Well, the bill doesn't poll very well, as you know. Only a third of the people think this is going to help them or help our country. So it doesn't poll well, we don’t think it will poll well; but the point is if you're selling a bill for the struggling people who are working day-to-day and week to week... and then you give 83% of the benefits not to them, it's hard to just argue that this is what this bill is about. It's not about that."
"There was a better way if we would have come together for the last month, last 11 months, and worked in a bipartisan way, I think we could have come up with some really good improvements to the Affordable Care Act. But that was never the intention of the Republicans, either on [the ACA] or taxes, which this was the most partisan bill, secret bill, non-transparent bill, rushed to judgment. In stark contrast to the the 1986 tax reform bill where we had hearings and witnesses, over 450 witnesses, and a bipartisan effort between President Reagan and Tip O'Neill, [House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dan] Rostenkowski and [Senate Finance Committee Chair Bob] Packwood. That didn't happen here. I think we're going to find out as the weeks go by that this bill is a very flawed bill not only in substance, but in specifics."