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Jared Kushner, senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attend a joint statemen in the Rose Garden held by U.S. President Donald Trump and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong October 23, 2017. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Spending Millions to Get Their Billions: GOP Mega-Donors Plot to Pass #TrumpTaxScam
"The GOP knows their donors will drop them like a hot rock if they don't deliver tax cuts for their billionaires."
Oct 24, 2017
Just days after 51 Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution that paves the way for over a trillion dollars in cuts to life-saving safety net programs and a massive windfall for the wealthy, White House staffers teamed up with the President Donald Trump's rich donors to launch a multi-million dollar sales campaign aimed at winning over the American people, who polls have found are overwhelmingly opposed to slashing taxes for millionaires, billionaires, and large corporations.
"The GOP's plan to sell its tax bill is obvious: lie."
--Ben Wikler, MoveOn.orgLate Monday, top White House officials quietly met with leaders of the "non-profit" America First Policies, which is affiliated with the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action. As Politico's Alex Isenstadt reports, both organizations have raised around $25 million in 2017, and the groups are looking to "play a more visible role" in the struggle to convince Americans that enormous tax breaks for corporations and the top one percent will primarily benefit the working class.
Non-partisan analyses have shown that the Trump-GOP plan, contrary to White House talking points, would disproportionately favor the rich.
Isenstadt summarized the White House donor meeting:
Those involved in Monday's gathering included Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers. Also present were Brian Walsh, Brad Parscale, Katie Walsh, and Corey Lewandowski--all top strategists for the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies.
During the course of the hour-long meeting, top officials with America First Policies signaled plans to wage an aggressive effort to push tax reform, according to four people with knowledge of the discussion. The group told the White House it was planning to spend in the millions.
Trump is also set to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday, where he hopes to "forge unity" behind a plan that critics have denounced as a "tax scam."
The White House's gathering with well-heeled donors and congressional Republicans to "plot" its tax plan sales campaign came as resistance groups are also preparing for a long fight against the Trump administration's efforts.
As Common Dreams reported last week, MoveOn.org and a coalition of progressive tax organizations are teaming up to mobilize and counter White House and GOP "turbo spin mode."
Ben Wikler, Washington director of MoveOn.org, reiterated in a Twitter thread late Monday the importance of calling attention to the potentially devastating consequences of the Republican tax push and remaining focused amid the "constant barrage" of Trump-related chaos.
"The GOP's plan to sell its tax bill is obvious: lie. The longer the debate rages, the more their lies crumble. So they want speed. We delay," Wikler wrote. "The GOP knows their donors will drop them like a hot rock if they don't deliver tax cuts for their billionaires. Works for me. Let's do that... and in the process, we just might rescue healthcare, pell grants, disaster preparedness, and every other damn thing the federal government does."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Just days after 51 Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution that paves the way for over a trillion dollars in cuts to life-saving safety net programs and a massive windfall for the wealthy, White House staffers teamed up with the President Donald Trump's rich donors to launch a multi-million dollar sales campaign aimed at winning over the American people, who polls have found are overwhelmingly opposed to slashing taxes for millionaires, billionaires, and large corporations.
"The GOP's plan to sell its tax bill is obvious: lie."
--Ben Wikler, MoveOn.orgLate Monday, top White House officials quietly met with leaders of the "non-profit" America First Policies, which is affiliated with the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action. As Politico's Alex Isenstadt reports, both organizations have raised around $25 million in 2017, and the groups are looking to "play a more visible role" in the struggle to convince Americans that enormous tax breaks for corporations and the top one percent will primarily benefit the working class.
Non-partisan analyses have shown that the Trump-GOP plan, contrary to White House talking points, would disproportionately favor the rich.
Isenstadt summarized the White House donor meeting:
Those involved in Monday's gathering included Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers. Also present were Brian Walsh, Brad Parscale, Katie Walsh, and Corey Lewandowski--all top strategists for the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies.
During the course of the hour-long meeting, top officials with America First Policies signaled plans to wage an aggressive effort to push tax reform, according to four people with knowledge of the discussion. The group told the White House it was planning to spend in the millions.
Trump is also set to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday, where he hopes to "forge unity" behind a plan that critics have denounced as a "tax scam."
The White House's gathering with well-heeled donors and congressional Republicans to "plot" its tax plan sales campaign came as resistance groups are also preparing for a long fight against the Trump administration's efforts.
As Common Dreams reported last week, MoveOn.org and a coalition of progressive tax organizations are teaming up to mobilize and counter White House and GOP "turbo spin mode."
Ben Wikler, Washington director of MoveOn.org, reiterated in a Twitter thread late Monday the importance of calling attention to the potentially devastating consequences of the Republican tax push and remaining focused amid the "constant barrage" of Trump-related chaos.
"The GOP's plan to sell its tax bill is obvious: lie. The longer the debate rages, the more their lies crumble. So they want speed. We delay," Wikler wrote. "The GOP knows their donors will drop them like a hot rock if they don't deliver tax cuts for their billionaires. Works for me. Let's do that... and in the process, we just might rescue healthcare, pell grants, disaster preparedness, and every other damn thing the federal government does."
Just days after 51 Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution that paves the way for over a trillion dollars in cuts to life-saving safety net programs and a massive windfall for the wealthy, White House staffers teamed up with the President Donald Trump's rich donors to launch a multi-million dollar sales campaign aimed at winning over the American people, who polls have found are overwhelmingly opposed to slashing taxes for millionaires, billionaires, and large corporations.
"The GOP's plan to sell its tax bill is obvious: lie."
--Ben Wikler, MoveOn.orgLate Monday, top White House officials quietly met with leaders of the "non-profit" America First Policies, which is affiliated with the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action. As Politico's Alex Isenstadt reports, both organizations have raised around $25 million in 2017, and the groups are looking to "play a more visible role" in the struggle to convince Americans that enormous tax breaks for corporations and the top one percent will primarily benefit the working class.
Non-partisan analyses have shown that the Trump-GOP plan, contrary to White House talking points, would disproportionately favor the rich.
Isenstadt summarized the White House donor meeting:
Those involved in Monday's gathering included Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers. Also present were Brian Walsh, Brad Parscale, Katie Walsh, and Corey Lewandowski--all top strategists for the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies.
During the course of the hour-long meeting, top officials with America First Policies signaled plans to wage an aggressive effort to push tax reform, according to four people with knowledge of the discussion. The group told the White House it was planning to spend in the millions.
Trump is also set to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday, where he hopes to "forge unity" behind a plan that critics have denounced as a "tax scam."
The White House's gathering with well-heeled donors and congressional Republicans to "plot" its tax plan sales campaign came as resistance groups are also preparing for a long fight against the Trump administration's efforts.
As Common Dreams reported last week, MoveOn.org and a coalition of progressive tax organizations are teaming up to mobilize and counter White House and GOP "turbo spin mode."
Ben Wikler, Washington director of MoveOn.org, reiterated in a Twitter thread late Monday the importance of calling attention to the potentially devastating consequences of the Republican tax push and remaining focused amid the "constant barrage" of Trump-related chaos.
"The GOP's plan to sell its tax bill is obvious: lie. The longer the debate rages, the more their lies crumble. So they want speed. We delay," Wikler wrote. "The GOP knows their donors will drop them like a hot rock if they don't deliver tax cuts for their billionaires. Works for me. Let's do that... and in the process, we just might rescue healthcare, pell grants, disaster preparedness, and every other damn thing the federal government does."
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