Dueling tax plans

[Rewind]

Further proof -- as if we needed any -- that Republicans care only about the wealthy and not the middle class:

Orrin Hatch sparks backlash after claiming there's 'no money' for children’s health plan
Mic.com, Dec 3 2017 5:13 PM

Less than two days after the Senate passed widely criticized tax reform legislation, one of the tax bill’s key proponents came under fire for claiming there’s "no money" for a children’s health care plan he helped create.

On the Senate floor Thursday, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch responded to a question from Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a low-cost health insurance plan for children from low-income families that Congress has yet to review since it expired October 1. The question came during a debate on the Republican tax bill, which Hatch presided over as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. In response, Hatch claimed the health insurance program had not yet been renewed due to a lack of funds. "The reason CHIP’s having trouble is because we don’t have money anymore," Hatch said.

Though Hatch described CHIP as having done a "terrific job," he then used the entitlement program as an opportunity to criticize programs that "help people who won’t help themselves" — seemingly appearing to equate such people with the 9 million children that rely on CHIP. "I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and trillions of dollars to help people who won’t help themselves, won’t lift a finger and expect the federal government to do everything," Hatch said.

Hatch’s comments, which were highlighted on MSNBC’s website and tweeted Sunday by Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough, drew widespread criticism over the weekend as passage of the Senate tax bill continued to spark outrage.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/201...plan/23295751/

[Rewind]

Further proof -- as if we needed any -- that Republicans care only about the wealthy and not the middle class:

Senator Chuck Grassley says the tax plan should reward millionaire investors, not people who blow money on 'booze or women or movies

www.time.com/5047914/chuck-grassley-estate-tax/

[Rewind]

From Business Insider:

The fight over the Republican tax plan isn't over -- here are the biggest differences between the House and Senate bills

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump...rences-2017-12

[Rewind]

The delusional buffoon is at it again:

Trump says GOP tax plan is becoming 'more popular.' It is still deeply unpopular, polls say.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/05/dona...e-popular.html

[Rewind]

Trump’s tweet on 'special' tax cut bill backfires
Geobeats, Dec 10 2017 10:40 AM

President Trump’s Saturday tweet on the GOP tax bill sparked many negative reactions on social media. Trump wrote, "Getting closer and closer on the Tax Cut Bill. Shaping up even better than projected. House and Senate working very hard and smart. End result will be not only important, but SPECIAL!"

Twitter users seemed largely skeptical about the bill’s benefits. Among the tweets: "You call it a tax cut but ultimately it only cuts taxes for the wealthy in the long run." "I’m sure all the rich people are really happy!" "Better for the top 1% or for the real people???" "The tax bill that the vast majority of Americans do not support. The one that says it benefits the middle class when in fact it benefits the wealthy."

The Washington Post published a piece on Saturday, delving into the tax bill’s divergence from Trump’s campaign promise: "As top lawmakers from the House and the Senate now rush to complete negotiations to push the tax plan into law, it amounts to a massive corporate tax cut, with uneven – and temporary – benefits for the middle class that could end up increasing taxes for many working families in future years."

https://www.aol.com/article/news/201...ires/23302779/

[Rewind]

The President is hopeful that the tax bill will be passed and be on his desk before Christmas. The IRS has announced that if the bill is signed this month, American workers will start seeing lower federal taxes on their paychecks beginning in February 2018.

Republicans have a final deal on their tax bill
Business Insider, Dec 13 2017

House and Senate Republicans have come to a preliminary final agreement on their compromise tax bill. The bill proposes cutting the corporate tax rate to 21% — higher than the 20% in the House and Senate versions but still much lower than the current 35%. The bill would also lower the top individual tax rate to 37% from the current 39.6%, a more generous cut than the Senate version had proposed.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump...ackets-2017-12

[Penguin]

I was listening to Dennis Prager on the radio and he said the middle-class tax cuts are supposed to expire after ten years but Congress will not let that happen. He said all the congressmen will vote to extend the tax cuts because they are afraid they will get voted out of office if they don't.

[Rewind]

Uh-oh.

Marco Rubio threatens to vote against the GOP tax bill unless leaders meet demands
Business Insider, Dec 14 2017 3:13 PM

Senator Marco Rubio told GOP leaders he will not vote for their tax bill unless changes are made to the child tax credit. Rubio wants the credit to be more generous and decried the drop in the top individual tax rate in the compromise bill. Republicans can lose only two votes in the Senate, and with Bob Corker likely against the bill, Rubio's defection would leave them with no margin for error.

http://www.businessinsider.com/marco...credit-2017-12

[Rewind]

The above "Uh-oh" has been resolved.

Republicans finish revised tax bill as Rubio announces support

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-n...215-story.html

[Penguin]

President Trump said the tax cut is going to be a Christmas present for the middle class. He never admits that the biggest tax cuts are going to the wealthiest people but I know the top tax rates are going way down and the lowest tax rate is not changing.