Not One Penny Rallies with Democratic Leaders to Fight Back Against Republicans’ Damaging Tax Plan

Activists and Advocates Joined Thousands Taking Action Around the Country to Oppose Shameful Tax Bill Passed by Senate GOP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Wednesday, December 13, 2017

PRESS CONTACT:
press@notonepenny.org

Washington, D.C. — As the conference committee in the House and Senate met for a sham hearing on the Republican tax bill, Not One Penny hosted a rally at the U.S. Capitol with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), other Members of Congress, and constituents harmed the toxic tax bill.

Today’s event is builds upon the more than 700 events that have been held over the past two months all over the country, as well as the more than 1.2 million calls to Members of Congress from their constituents, calling on Republicans to stop their efforts to rig the system against the middle class.

In addition to opposing the tax plan that would give large tax breaks to millionaires, billionaires and wealthy corporations, speakers at Wednesday’s event called on Republicans to seat Senator-elect Doug Jones before voting on their disastrous tax plan.

“Republicans are robbing the future and they’re ripping off the middle class,” said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “They are raising taxes on 78 million middle-class Americans to give a tax break to the wealthiest people in our country. It’s immoral, it’s wrong, and it must be defeated.”

“We will not stand for a further betrayal of the working class,” said Senator Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee. “We want a tax policy that gives everybody in America the chance to get ahead, not one that rearranges the chairs at the country club.”

“People are sick and tired of a Republican Congress that works only for those at the tippy top. They’re sick of it everywhere, even in bright red Alabama,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). “Our message to Mitch McConnell is simple: no vote on the Republican tax bill before Doug Jones takes his rightful seat in the United States Senate. “

“The rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, 40 million Americans are living in poverty, and Republicans want to give 62 percent of the tax benefits to the top one percent,” said Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “The American people are catching on and they know that now is the time for Congress to start representing working people and not the Koch brothers, wealthy campaign contributors, or the top one percent.”

“Alabama just threw the emergency brake on congressional Republicans’ efforts to rig the tax system even further in favor of the wealthy,” said Nicole Gill, Executive Director of Tax March. “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his party should heed the will of the voters in this election and not rush forward with this historically unpopular tax legislation.”

The event was coordinated in partnership with Tax March, Americans for Tax Fairness, ADAPT, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Center for Popular Democracy, CREDO, Health Care Voter, Little Lobbyists, and numerous other progressive organizations.

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