Republicans celebrated their first legislative win of the year Wednesday, after both houses of Congress passed a sweeping tax reform package.
But one Democratic congresswoman told Cheddar there’s still hope for constituents who remain opposed to the bill.
“Stay mobilized, let your voice be heard,” Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) said Wednesday morning, after the Senate voted, but before the House reconvened. “Nothing is permanent but death and taxes, and we can do something about these taxes and we can do something about the makeup of this Congress.”
The president and his party leaders gathered Wednesday afternoon to praise the benefits of the tax system overhaul, which drops the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent, nearly doubles the standard deduction for individuals, and lowers the tax rate for most income brackets.
While the GOP says the long-overdue changes will provide a boost to the economy, Democrats dispute that claim and say the bill will largely benefit the wealthiest Americans and balloon the deficit.
The bill does appear to be broadly unpopular. A recent CNN poll found that 55 percent of respondents opposed the legislation, a 10 percentage point increase since last month. Still, it passed the House by a vote of 224-201 Wednesday afternoon, with only 12 Republican naysayers.
Republicans also took to Twitter to cheer the victory. President Donald Trump posted a gif that read “Tax Cut for Christmas”.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-bonnie-watson-coleman-d-nj-says-voters-can-change-the-makeup-of-congress-in-2018).
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a conservative Republican congressman, is championing a medical cannabis research act, signaling the bipartisan shift in attitudes toward medical marijuana.
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China retaliated to the latest round of tariffs announced by the Trump administration, announcing import taxes on $60 billion in U.S. goods. That came after the White House said it would impose tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, though many of Apple's products will be exempt.
Kate Shaw, professor at Cardozo School of Law, breaks down the similarities between the current accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the accusations from Anita Hill in 1991 against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas -- the latter largely considered to have been the basis for how workplace harassment is thought of today.
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Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to reduced charges Friday morning and agreed to cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigation.
