Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: Tax Reform Is a "Historic Error"
As the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes its way to the White House, one Democrat lawmaker is pulling no punches with his criticism of Republicans who are calling the tax package historic.
Cheddar caught up with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) who calls the bill a “scam,” and a “historic error.” He says that the 80 percent of the benefits of the tax code package will go to the one percent in the long-haul.
“From what I see, it looks like it’s being done essentially as what people in politics call donor maintenance: keep the fellas who fund your party happy,” he said. “As an exercise in donor maintenance it is indeed historic, but in terms of flow through to the American public, and giving benefit to the normal family, I don’t see that happening.”
Republicans, however, argue that the bill is beneficial for the American people. The party says that Americans will have more jobs and the economy will see a boost. The tax plan currently cuts corporate taxes from 35 to 21 percent.
Some companies companies cheered on the news by announcing bonuses for their employees. AT&T announced that 200,000 of its employees will get $1,000 bonuses, and that it will increase its U.S. capital expenditure to $1 billion. AT&T was trending on Twitter shortly after, with users theorizing that the move was a political play to get the government to approve its contentious merger with Time Warner.
Still, Whitehouse encourages unhappy voters to let their voices be heard at the ballot box. He says that Democratic congress members on Capitol Hill will be doing everything they can to alleviate the pressure that the bill will cause in property taxes, SALT, and the student community.
“If you want things different, you got to vote in a different power structure here in Washington,” he said. “If you like what’s happening? If you like all of the self-dealing for the donor class, great. Keep voting Republican.”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/senator-sheldon-whitehouse-d-ri-the-tax-reform-bill-is-a-historic-error).
A Gallup poll finds that now 7.1% of American adults identify as LGBTQ, jumping from 3.5% in 2012. The increase is driven by Generation-Z – those born between 1997 and 2003 – of whom one out of five identify as LGBTQ. Cheddar News speaks with Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson about the significant shift.
As the Biden administration continues to see the potential for an imminent invasion of Ukraine after contradictory reports of a Russian troop pullback or buildup, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif. 7th District), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, joined Cheddar News to give his insight into the tense situation. "When I was in Ukraine a couple of weeks ago and we were talking with the Ukrainian leadership with President Zelensky, they said we ought to approach Vladimir Putin as though he was a poker player," he said. "So this could be one of those head fakes where he's saying one thing and doing another thing."
The Biden Administration has now issued new guidelines when it comes to carbon capture. The new guidelines handed down this week encouraged the widespread use of climate attacks that traps and stores carbon emissions. The goal here is the process would help keep carbon out of the atmosphere without requiring a whole lot of change by big companies and manufacturing plants. Several scientists say that this method would be crucial to help us decrease the use of carbon emissions by the year 2050. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, Mark Jacobson, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter for Politico Pro, joins Cheddar News to discuss the latest in marijuana legalization in the United States.
The Biden administration is launching a new task force to promote the use of 'cleaner' construction materials with lower life cycle emissions. This comes as the White House works to speed up government purchases of greener products. Sweta Chakraborty, climate change expert and U.S. president of "We Don't Have Time," joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Due to the staffing shortages of teachers in New Mexico, the state has been encouraging its National Guard members to fill in as licensed substitutes to keep schools open. Kurt Steinhaus, New Mexico secretary of education, joined Cheddar News to explain the state's stopgap measure amid its lack of teaching professionals. "The first thing they have to go through a fingerprint background check, just like any other substitute new Mexico. The second thing they have to do is go through some online training, and then we provided some in-person professional development about classroom management," Steinhaus explained about the qualifications process.
With contradictory reports about Russian troops pulling back or being added to the border with Ukraine and the expulsion of a U.S. diplomat from Russia, tensions in the region appear to be escalating. Jack Detsch, a Pentagon and national security reporter for Foreign Policy, joined Cheddar News to break down the situation. "Certainly a different tone out of Moscow today and a different tone out of the West. Even as the Kremlin has made the case that troops are moving back, the U.S. is saying that is certainly not the case with the satellite imagery that we have pouring in," he said.
New York City's famous subway system is currently facing scrutiny after several recent attacks on platforms. Now, local leaders in the Big Apple are calling on the MTA. To step in and take action.
