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"This week, President Trump and Republicans in Congress demonstrated that they would happily cut things like Meals on Wheels, housing assistance, and food for mothers and young children in order to deliver for the rich."
The chairman of the House GOP's policy committee confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump's chaotic and destructive effort to slash federal spending—including key anti-poverty programs—is tied to the new administration's attempt to enact another round of tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the rich and large corporations.
"If you're going to cut taxes and send money back home, then you also need to stop the spigot in Washington, D.C.," Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) told Politico. "You can't do both."
The comments from Hern, who previously chaired a Republican panel that called for sweeping cuts to Social Security benefits, were seen as further evidence of the end-goal of the Trump administration's aggressive and unlawful attempts to axe funding already approved by Congress.
Kobie Christian, a spokesperson for the advocacy coalition Unrig Our Economy thanked Hern for "giving away the game—that the real reason Republicans seem so adamant about cutting impactful and popular programs that families depend on is to pay for even more massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations."
"This week," Christian added, "President Trump and Republicans in Congress demonstrated that they would happily cut things like Meals on Wheels, housing assistance, and food for mothers and young children in order to deliver for the rich."
"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires."
Since early January, House Republicans have been considering a menu of options that floats over $2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, a program that provides healthcare to tens of millions of low-income Americans—including millions of children.
Meanwhile, as ProPublica noted Thursday, the document proposes eliminating the federal estate tax for the ultrawealthy "at an estimated cost of $370 billion in revenue for the government over a decade."
"The tax, which charges a percentage of the value of a person's fortune after they die, kicks in only for estates worth more than around $14 million," the outlet noted. "Another proposal aims to slash the top tax rate paid by corporations by almost a third."
After the Trump White House said Wednesday that its far-reaching assault on federal funding would continue even after the withdrawal of an Office of Management and Budget memo that sparked nationwide mayhem, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) warned that "this is the blueprint for the Trump administration and for the Republican majority."
"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires," said Escobar. "Even if there was some kind of victory today with the withdrawal of the memo, this battle is ongoing. And their effort to effectively defund the federal government in order to provide those tax cuts is going to be an ongoing fight."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. 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. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The chairman of the House GOP's policy committee confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump's chaotic and destructive effort to slash federal spending—including key anti-poverty programs—is tied to the new administration's attempt to enact another round of tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the rich and large corporations.
"If you're going to cut taxes and send money back home, then you also need to stop the spigot in Washington, D.C.," Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) told Politico. "You can't do both."
The comments from Hern, who previously chaired a Republican panel that called for sweeping cuts to Social Security benefits, were seen as further evidence of the end-goal of the Trump administration's aggressive and unlawful attempts to axe funding already approved by Congress.
Kobie Christian, a spokesperson for the advocacy coalition Unrig Our Economy thanked Hern for "giving away the game—that the real reason Republicans seem so adamant about cutting impactful and popular programs that families depend on is to pay for even more massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations."
"This week," Christian added, "President Trump and Republicans in Congress demonstrated that they would happily cut things like Meals on Wheels, housing assistance, and food for mothers and young children in order to deliver for the rich."
"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires."
Since early January, House Republicans have been considering a menu of options that floats over $2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, a program that provides healthcare to tens of millions of low-income Americans—including millions of children.
Meanwhile, as ProPublica noted Thursday, the document proposes eliminating the federal estate tax for the ultrawealthy "at an estimated cost of $370 billion in revenue for the government over a decade."
"The tax, which charges a percentage of the value of a person's fortune after they die, kicks in only for estates worth more than around $14 million," the outlet noted. "Another proposal aims to slash the top tax rate paid by corporations by almost a third."
After the Trump White House said Wednesday that its far-reaching assault on federal funding would continue even after the withdrawal of an Office of Management and Budget memo that sparked nationwide mayhem, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) warned that "this is the blueprint for the Trump administration and for the Republican majority."
"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires," said Escobar. "Even if there was some kind of victory today with the withdrawal of the memo, this battle is ongoing. And their effort to effectively defund the federal government in order to provide those tax cuts is going to be an ongoing fight."
The chairman of the House GOP's policy committee confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump's chaotic and destructive effort to slash federal spending—including key anti-poverty programs—is tied to the new administration's attempt to enact another round of tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the rich and large corporations.
"If you're going to cut taxes and send money back home, then you also need to stop the spigot in Washington, D.C.," Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) told Politico. "You can't do both."
The comments from Hern, who previously chaired a Republican panel that called for sweeping cuts to Social Security benefits, were seen as further evidence of the end-goal of the Trump administration's aggressive and unlawful attempts to axe funding already approved by Congress.
Kobie Christian, a spokesperson for the advocacy coalition Unrig Our Economy thanked Hern for "giving away the game—that the real reason Republicans seem so adamant about cutting impactful and popular programs that families depend on is to pay for even more massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations."
"This week," Christian added, "President Trump and Republicans in Congress demonstrated that they would happily cut things like Meals on Wheels, housing assistance, and food for mothers and young children in order to deliver for the rich."
"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires."
Since early January, House Republicans have been considering a menu of options that floats over $2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, a program that provides healthcare to tens of millions of low-income Americans—including millions of children.
Meanwhile, as ProPublica noted Thursday, the document proposes eliminating the federal estate tax for the ultrawealthy "at an estimated cost of $370 billion in revenue for the government over a decade."
"The tax, which charges a percentage of the value of a person's fortune after they die, kicks in only for estates worth more than around $14 million," the outlet noted. "Another proposal aims to slash the top tax rate paid by corporations by almost a third."
After the Trump White House said Wednesday that its far-reaching assault on federal funding would continue even after the withdrawal of an Office of Management and Budget memo that sparked nationwide mayhem, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) warned that "this is the blueprint for the Trump administration and for the Republican majority."
"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires," said Escobar. "Even if there was some kind of victory today with the withdrawal of the memo, this battle is ongoing. And their effort to effectively defund the federal government in order to provide those tax cuts is going to be an ongoing fight."