SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, with fellow Republican leadership on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Reuters/Gary Cameron)
51 GOP Senators Just Voted To Cut $1.5 Trillion from Medicare and Medicaid To Give Super-Rich and Corporations a Tax Cut
The Republican budget, declared Sen. Sanders after its passage, "is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."
Oct 19, 2017
Along strict party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday night voted to pass a sweeping budget measure--one criticized as both "despicable" and "horrific" for providing massive giveaways to corporations and the super-rich while eviscerating funding for social programs, healthcare, education, and affordable housing.
"Another dark deed done: GOP passes obscene budget to slash Medicare/Medicaid & explode the deficit - all in the name of tax cuts for the 1%."
--Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)The measure passed by 51-49 vote, with only one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, joining every Democrat and the chamber's two Independents who voted against it. Its approval now paves that way for massive tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations envisioned by President Donald Trump and the GOP in both the House and the Senate.
"51 Republican Senators just voted to cut Medicaid by $1 trillion and Medicare by $500 billion so that millionaires and corporations can get a tax cut. It's immoral and despicable," said TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for Americans for Tax Fairness, in a statement immediately following the vote.
Though the budget resolution itself is nonbinding, MoveOn.org's Ben Wikler notes how the Senate passage on Thursday represents the "starting gun for what might be the most consequential legislative fight of the Trump era: the looting of the U.S. treasury to reward billionaire GOP donors and mega-corporations, at the expense of the rest of us." And with the Senate resolution now in place, a reconciliation process can begin with Republicans in the House, meaning the GOP can "shoot for a tax bill without a single Democratic vote."
In the wake of its passage, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who earlier this week called the proposal "Robin Hood in reverse" for taking from the poor to give to the rich-- said the "Republicans' budget is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."
Sanders was far from alone in his outrage.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) called the vote a "dark deed" and urged people nationwide to stand up and fight back against what the budget represents:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also vocal in her warnings ahead of the vote, condemned the budget put forth by her Republican colleagues as "garbage".
Here, for the record, is the full roll call of the vote:
| Alexander (R-TN), Yea Baldwin (D-WI), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Bennet (D-CO), Nay Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay Blunt (R-MO), Yea Booker (D-NJ), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Yea Brown (D-OH), Nay Burr (R-NC), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Capito (R-WV), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Nay Cassidy (R-LA), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Coons (D-DE), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Cortez Masto (D-NV), Nay Cotton (R-AR), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea Cruz (R-TX), Yea Daines (R-MT), Yea Donnelly (D-IN), Nay Duckworth (D-IL), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Yea Ernst (R-IA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Fischer (R-NE), Yea Flake (R-AZ), Yea
| Franken (D-MN), Nay Gardner (R-CO), Yea Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harris (D-CA), Nay Hassan (D-NH), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heinrich (D-NM), Nay Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay Heller (R-NV), Yea Hirono (D-HI), Nay Hoeven (R-ND), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Yea Kaine (D-VA), Nay Kennedy (R-LA), Yea King (I-ME), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Lankford (R-OK), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Nay Lee (R-UT), Yea Manchin (D-WV), Nay Markey (D-MA), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Merkley (D-OR), Nay Moran (R-KS), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murphy (D-CT), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay | Nelson (D-FL), Nay Paul (R-KY), Nay Perdue (R-GA), Yea Peters (D-MI), Nay Portman (R-OH), Yea Reed (D-RI), Nay Risch (R-ID), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rounds (R-SD), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Sasse (R-NE), Yea Schatz (D-HI), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Scott (R-SC), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Strange (R-AL), Yea Sullivan (R-AK), Yea Tester (D-MT), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea Tillis (R-NC), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Yea Udall (D-NM), Nay Van Hollen (D-MD), Nay Warner (D-VA), Nay Warren (D-MA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay Young (R-IN), Yea |
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Along strict party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday night voted to pass a sweeping budget measure--one criticized as both "despicable" and "horrific" for providing massive giveaways to corporations and the super-rich while eviscerating funding for social programs, healthcare, education, and affordable housing.
"Another dark deed done: GOP passes obscene budget to slash Medicare/Medicaid & explode the deficit - all in the name of tax cuts for the 1%."
--Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)The measure passed by 51-49 vote, with only one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, joining every Democrat and the chamber's two Independents who voted against it. Its approval now paves that way for massive tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations envisioned by President Donald Trump and the GOP in both the House and the Senate.
"51 Republican Senators just voted to cut Medicaid by $1 trillion and Medicare by $500 billion so that millionaires and corporations can get a tax cut. It's immoral and despicable," said TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for Americans for Tax Fairness, in a statement immediately following the vote.
Though the budget resolution itself is nonbinding, MoveOn.org's Ben Wikler notes how the Senate passage on Thursday represents the "starting gun for what might be the most consequential legislative fight of the Trump era: the looting of the U.S. treasury to reward billionaire GOP donors and mega-corporations, at the expense of the rest of us." And with the Senate resolution now in place, a reconciliation process can begin with Republicans in the House, meaning the GOP can "shoot for a tax bill without a single Democratic vote."
In the wake of its passage, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who earlier this week called the proposal "Robin Hood in reverse" for taking from the poor to give to the rich-- said the "Republicans' budget is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."
Sanders was far from alone in his outrage.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) called the vote a "dark deed" and urged people nationwide to stand up and fight back against what the budget represents:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also vocal in her warnings ahead of the vote, condemned the budget put forth by her Republican colleagues as "garbage".
Here, for the record, is the full roll call of the vote:
| Alexander (R-TN), Yea Baldwin (D-WI), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Bennet (D-CO), Nay Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay Blunt (R-MO), Yea Booker (D-NJ), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Yea Brown (D-OH), Nay Burr (R-NC), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Capito (R-WV), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Nay Cassidy (R-LA), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Coons (D-DE), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Cortez Masto (D-NV), Nay Cotton (R-AR), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea Cruz (R-TX), Yea Daines (R-MT), Yea Donnelly (D-IN), Nay Duckworth (D-IL), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Yea Ernst (R-IA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Fischer (R-NE), Yea Flake (R-AZ), Yea
| Franken (D-MN), Nay Gardner (R-CO), Yea Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harris (D-CA), Nay Hassan (D-NH), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heinrich (D-NM), Nay Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay Heller (R-NV), Yea Hirono (D-HI), Nay Hoeven (R-ND), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Yea Kaine (D-VA), Nay Kennedy (R-LA), Yea King (I-ME), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Lankford (R-OK), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Nay Lee (R-UT), Yea Manchin (D-WV), Nay Markey (D-MA), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Merkley (D-OR), Nay Moran (R-KS), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murphy (D-CT), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay | Nelson (D-FL), Nay Paul (R-KY), Nay Perdue (R-GA), Yea Peters (D-MI), Nay Portman (R-OH), Yea Reed (D-RI), Nay Risch (R-ID), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rounds (R-SD), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Sasse (R-NE), Yea Schatz (D-HI), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Scott (R-SC), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Strange (R-AL), Yea Sullivan (R-AK), Yea Tester (D-MT), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea Tillis (R-NC), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Yea Udall (D-NM), Nay Van Hollen (D-MD), Nay Warner (D-VA), Nay Warren (D-MA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay Young (R-IN), Yea |
Along strict party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday night voted to pass a sweeping budget measure--one criticized as both "despicable" and "horrific" for providing massive giveaways to corporations and the super-rich while eviscerating funding for social programs, healthcare, education, and affordable housing.
"Another dark deed done: GOP passes obscene budget to slash Medicare/Medicaid & explode the deficit - all in the name of tax cuts for the 1%."
--Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)The measure passed by 51-49 vote, with only one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, joining every Democrat and the chamber's two Independents who voted against it. Its approval now paves that way for massive tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations envisioned by President Donald Trump and the GOP in both the House and the Senate.
"51 Republican Senators just voted to cut Medicaid by $1 trillion and Medicare by $500 billion so that millionaires and corporations can get a tax cut. It's immoral and despicable," said TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for Americans for Tax Fairness, in a statement immediately following the vote.
Though the budget resolution itself is nonbinding, MoveOn.org's Ben Wikler notes how the Senate passage on Thursday represents the "starting gun for what might be the most consequential legislative fight of the Trump era: the looting of the U.S. treasury to reward billionaire GOP donors and mega-corporations, at the expense of the rest of us." And with the Senate resolution now in place, a reconciliation process can begin with Republicans in the House, meaning the GOP can "shoot for a tax bill without a single Democratic vote."
In the wake of its passage, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who earlier this week called the proposal "Robin Hood in reverse" for taking from the poor to give to the rich-- said the "Republicans' budget is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."
Sanders was far from alone in his outrage.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) called the vote a "dark deed" and urged people nationwide to stand up and fight back against what the budget represents:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also vocal in her warnings ahead of the vote, condemned the budget put forth by her Republican colleagues as "garbage".
Here, for the record, is the full roll call of the vote:
| Alexander (R-TN), Yea Baldwin (D-WI), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Bennet (D-CO), Nay Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay Blunt (R-MO), Yea Booker (D-NJ), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Yea Brown (D-OH), Nay Burr (R-NC), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Capito (R-WV), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Nay Cassidy (R-LA), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Coons (D-DE), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Cortez Masto (D-NV), Nay Cotton (R-AR), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea Cruz (R-TX), Yea Daines (R-MT), Yea Donnelly (D-IN), Nay Duckworth (D-IL), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Yea Ernst (R-IA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Fischer (R-NE), Yea Flake (R-AZ), Yea
| Franken (D-MN), Nay Gardner (R-CO), Yea Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harris (D-CA), Nay Hassan (D-NH), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heinrich (D-NM), Nay Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay Heller (R-NV), Yea Hirono (D-HI), Nay Hoeven (R-ND), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Yea Kaine (D-VA), Nay Kennedy (R-LA), Yea King (I-ME), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Lankford (R-OK), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Nay Lee (R-UT), Yea Manchin (D-WV), Nay Markey (D-MA), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Merkley (D-OR), Nay Moran (R-KS), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murphy (D-CT), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay | Nelson (D-FL), Nay Paul (R-KY), Nay Perdue (R-GA), Yea Peters (D-MI), Nay Portman (R-OH), Yea Reed (D-RI), Nay Risch (R-ID), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rounds (R-SD), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Sasse (R-NE), Yea Schatz (D-HI), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Scott (R-SC), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Strange (R-AL), Yea Sullivan (R-AK), Yea Tester (D-MT), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea Tillis (R-NC), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Yea Udall (D-NM), Nay Van Hollen (D-MD), Nay Warner (D-VA), Nay Warren (D-MA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay Young (R-IN), Yea |
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.