In response to Republicans passing their devastating budget, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“Today, Donald Trump and the Republican party sent a message to America: if you are not a billionaire, we don’t give a damn about you. Health care. Basic food benefits. Dignity in old age. These are the values that Republicans have abandoned to give their billionaire friends another tax handout. This massive scheme to steal from working families, children, and seniors will devastate communities in blue and red states alike. We know the numbers: 17 million Americans will lose health care, over 5 million will lose food assistance, and millions will lose their jobs. But we must also know the stories: Had this bill passed when I was growing up, I would not be here today. 

Republicans may see Americans’ livelihoods as ‘immaterial’ — joking ‘we are all going to die’ and telling petrified Americans to ‘get over it’ — but that doesn’t change the hell they are unleashing on America’s families. While the GOP continues to cash their billionaire donors’ checks, their constituents will starve, lose critical medical care, lose their jobs — and yes, some will die as a result of this bill. Democrats are mobilizing and will fight back to make sure everybody knows exactly who is responsible for one of the worst bills in our nation’s history.” 

NEW: Republicans passed Trump’s disastrous billionaire-first budget to make his tax scam permanent and fund another round of tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy on the backs of working families. 

Jake Sherman, Punchbowl News: “HOUSE PASSES RECONCILIATION BILL, HEADS TO W.H. FOR TRUMP’S SIGNATURE

“VOTE WAS 218-214” 

Axios: “The draft legislation would extend the cuts in the 2017 tax bill, and it adds on some more breaks.”

USA Today: “Low-income families would lose, wealthier ones would gain under GOP tax proposals” 

New York Times: “Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package”

Associated Press: “GOP tax bill would cost poor Americans $1,600 a year and boost highest earners by $12,000, CBO says” 

At every turn, Democrats fought to kill this bill — submitting over 500 amendments to protect the American people and delivered the longest speech on the House floor in protest — while Republicans caved in exchange for nothing.  

Melanie Zanona, NBC News: “Jeffries has officially broken McCarthy’s record for longest House floor speech.”

Jake Sherman, Punchbowl News: “[Republican holdouts] did not get any changes in this bill after it came back to the House. Zero. The bill that they criticized as horrible is the bill that they will be voting on — and many of them voting for — this afternoon.” 

COWARDS: In the dead of night — hiding from the American people — Trump and the GOP cut unknown deals behind closed doors to screw working families and pass their devastating budget.  

The Hill: “Trump speaks with GOP holdouts blocking his megabill in early-morning call”

“The phone call — which took place around 1 a.m. as holdouts huddled in a room off the House floor — came as a key procedural vote for the megabill remained open for almost four hours …” 

Jamie Dupree: “About 3:20 am, all of the GOP holdouts/opponents arrived on the House floor and either voted or changed their votes, except for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick R-PA.  Final passage will be coming later this morning.”

Trump and the GOP’s billionaire first budget takes a wrecking ball to working families’ livelihoods …   

• This bill rips away health care from 17 million Americans through over $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act — including the largest cut to Medicaid in American history 
• Puts over 300 rural hospitals at risk of shutting down, ripping away critical, lifesaving care from hundreds of rural communities across the country  
• Forces at least 1 in 4 nursing homes to close their doors 
• Puts roughly 5 million Americans — about 1 in 8 SNAP participants — at risk of losing food assistance 
• Cost farmers nearly $35 billion in revenue
• Endangers our communities by making it easier to buy dangerous firearms and silencers 

… and drags America’s economy into the gutter … 

• This bill adds $3.4 trillion to the national debt, while revenues fall by $4.47 trillion 
• Eliminates 1.2 million jobs by 2029 — predominantly in health care and food-related sectors — through cuts to SNAP and Medicaid
• Puts 1.75 million construction jobs at risk — with unions warning, “this stands to be the biggest job-killing bill in the history of the country”
• Puts 2 million clean energy jobs at risk 
• Costs state economies $154 billion in GDP 
• Plummet local and state tax revenue by $12.2 billion 
• Economists are sounding the alarm that this bill will worsen inflation and could trigger a financial crisis
• Increases energy costs by hundreds of dollars across the country 

… all to funnel thousands into the pockets of the wealthiest Americans: 

• This bill cuts $1.3 trillion in food assistance and health coverage while giving the wealthy that exact amount in tax breaks 
• Actively transfers money from the poorest among us to the richest:
  • Republicans are slashing incomes among the poorest 20% by 3.8% while increasing the incomes of the richest 20% by 3.7% 
  • Americans making under $15,000 — below the federal poverty level — will see their taxes increase by 12% in the short term and jump 73% by 2033
  • Americans making above $1,000,000 — more than 50 times the federal poverty level — will get an average tax handout of $79,000 

Americans overwhelmingly reject Trump’s billionaire-first budget — as opposition grows the more folks learn about the bill. 

• Americans oppose Trump’s budget 2 to 1 — and opposition grows to 7 to 1 when people hear about the bill’s drastic cuts 
• Republicans oppose their own party’s budget 3 to 1 when they learn about the bill’s impacts 
• 64% of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of the GOP’s tax and budget bill, including 34% of Republicans 
• After being told that the bill would decrease funding for local hospitals, favorability of the bill falls to 21% while unfavorability rises to 79%
• 3 in 4 Americans view Medicaid favorably, including 71% of independents and 64% of Republicans

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