Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries represents the eighth district of New York. He believes the Republican tax plan will protect millionaires and hurt middle-class Americans. The Congressman says that, despite an emphasis on reducing the federal deficit, the current plan will increase it by over a trillion dollars.
"This is really a smokescreen that has been put forth to pretend as if it's going to benefit everyday Americans," he says, "when the GOP tax proposal is really all about helping out millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations and showering them with a massive tax cut, exploding the deficit by about $1.5 trillion."
One of the key points of the GOP's policy is the elimination of state and local tax deductions for individual Americans, which could hit the constituents of high tax states like California and Jeffries' own New York. The White House argues that it's the states' decision to tax residents so much and that they shouldn't get a break because of it.
But Jeffries points out that the GOP's plan still allows corporations to deduct their state and local taxes. "The only reason it's being done, is because this is all about big business and wealthy Americans."
Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi declined an invitation by President Trump to meet with him at the White House and discuss tax reform. Congressman Jeffries believes that was a wise decision, because the President is not actually interested in reaching a bipartisan agreement.
Republicans also need to pass a short-term spending bill to fund the government, or it will shut down on December 8th. Congressman Jeffries says it would be unreasonable if Republicans try to blame a government shutdown on Democrats when the GOP holds both houses of Congress and the White House.
An overnight stampede in Israel kills dozens, a look at the COVID disaster in Latin America, the economic repositioning in America, a new shortage to report and did people really answer the phone without Caller ID?
China has launched the main module of its first permanent space station that will host astronauts long term.
This time the Food and Drug Administration is under pressure from African American groups to remove the mint flavor, which is popular among Black smokers.
Fresh off a high-profile loss against Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama, the union movement in America is more fired up than it's been in a generation.
The headlines from President Biden's first speech to Congress, plus why he's got reason to be sounding optimistic about the state of the pandemic. And would you let a Walmart worker stock your fridge?
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 13,000 last week to 553,000, the lowest level since the pandemic hit last March and another sign the economy is recovering from the coronavirus recession.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stuck to his guns on Wednesday following a two-day policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.
Former President Donald Trump is defending Rudy Giuliani, his longtime personal lawyer, after federal investigators executed search warrants at Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan residence and office.
President Joe Biden declares “America is rising anew” as he calls for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the coronavirus pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades.
Jill and Carlo discuss the CDC's updated mask guidance, a deeper dive into the catastrophe in India, what POTUS will pitch to Congress, and the biggest public health breakthrough of the decade that you haven't heard about.
