Luján: Republican Tax Scam Will Leave American Families Behind

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined Senate Democrats and delivered remarks on the Senate Floor calling out the Republican Tax Scam that gives a handout to the country's most wealthy on the backs of working people by dramatically cutting funding for programs that all Americans rely on like health, education, and public services.

Watch Senator Luján's floor speech here.

Senator Luján's floor speech, as prepared for delivery, is below:

I want to start by giving thanks to our colleague from Hawaii for asking us to come together to have a conversation with the American people. I'm a proud Senator from the state of New Mexico. From a small rural community in the northern part of the state, and I wanted to come down to the floor to continue this conversation as we have heard from colleagues already talk about what this is and what this isn't.

It seems to me when my Republican colleagues last did this, what I heard townhall after townhall across New Mexico is that Democrats, Republicans, Independents, voters, constituents, they just want to hear the truth. They want to hear what this is and what this is not.

I'm going to start off by holding this report that says that almost 60% of the benefit of extending the Republican tax policies will go to the top 0.1% of the wealthiest in America.

0.1%, I'm not talking about the other 99.9%. Let's define how much money people that are in the top 0.1% in America are making. They're doing very well. They're making $2.8 million per year. That's a lot of money.

But, under the guise of giving middle class families, hard-working families all across America a tax cut, where the benefit goes to the top 0.1%, where you're making $2.8 million per year, this is for you. The American people just want to hear the truth.

This is not for the hard-working families back home. My brothers and sisters, police, men and women who fight to keep us safe, EMS who respond when we need them the most, nurses, teacher, electricians, iron workers, pipefitters, all the folks across America who are doing everything they can to put some food on the table. Keep a roof over their head. Provide for their kids. Maybe save for retirement if they have a little extra.

They are playing by the rules, this golden rule promise that if you fight hard and play by the rules, you will do better than the previous generation and you'll help your kids and everyone that follows you.

So, while you are playing by the rules all across the country, and I'm talking to everyone not making $2.8 million per year, Senate Republicans are getting ready to rig the system with a tax scam that's going to give more money to the top 0.1%. People who are making $2.8 million a year or more.

The top 0.1% are the people who are making $2.8 million a year.

Maybe that will let them buy another yacht or jet plane.

One of the concerns across the country is just like this happened before, my Senate Republican colleagues are going to do this behind closed doors all while making false promises this is for you. Working class families all across America.

But at the end of the night, all they're going to stick you with the bill.

And they will make you pay for it by eliminating programs that support our veterans, feeding young children and babies, and take care of grandparents and elders. Or giving up your child's ability to see the same doctor they've had since being born.

Studies show just extending this Republican Tax Scam would blow a $4 trillion hole in the deficit. Let that sink in. Facts. Talking about what this will and will not do.

The incoming Administration is going to try and pass this off as a 'middle-class tax cut'. That is how they are going to sell this to the American people.

It's not. It's a handout to the wealthiest folks making more than $2.8 million per year.

Economic analysis makes it clear that this tax scam will drive up the debt and leave working families behind.

We all know the way to grow the economy is to invest in the working class, lower taxes for working families, and bring industry and innovation back to our communities.

The success of our teachers, nurses, pipefitters, firefighters, police officers, and everyone in between is the success in building up the economy across America.

Look, you've heard this from my Democratic colleagues, I am ready to work with my Republican colleagues to find better solutions for growing our economy and lowering taxes to prioritize the middle class, to help them. But this scam is horrible. It's why I wanted to come to the floor today to have a conversation with my colleagues to share the facts about what is happening here with the American people and let my colleagues across the aisle know - let's work together. Let's truly deliver on a promise to help hard-working middle-class families all across the country. Including in the state of New Mexico.

I want to thank you again Senator Schatz and I want to yield my time to my colleague from Vermont who I had the honor of serving with in the House and being apart of this debate when this happened before.

Thank you and I yield back my time.

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