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).

Share:
More In Politics
Why Democrats Losing Hispanic Voters
Chuck Rocha, host of 'Nuestro' podcast and opinion contributor at The New York Times, joins Cheddar News to discuss why Democrats are losing Hispanic voters.
Return-to-Office Mandates Might Be Hurting the Middle Class
More businesses are requiring workers to return to the office, but there is concern that many employees in the middle class, especially women and people of color, need remote work options for reasons including childcare and financial security. Joan Williams, director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, joined Cheddar to discuss why office mandates could be detrimental to the middle class. She noted that while companies claim a return to offices would help foster more collaboration and efficiency, reports show that they are successfully able to do their jobs from home.
California Governor Explores Texas-Like Law to Ban Assault Weapons
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to allow the controversial Texas abortion law to remain in effect, banning abortion at six weeks and allowing any private citizen to sue a person or doctor aiding or abetting someone seeking an abortion. Outraged at this decision, California Governor Gavin Newsom is working to draft a proposal in line with the law as it relates to guns. Shawn Hubler, California correspondent at the New York Times, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Getting Into the Vaccine Mandate Debate as Google Implements Its Own
Even as tech giant Google implements a vaccination mandate, charging its employees to declare their vaccine status within a time frame or risk dismissal, the federal government is tangled up in the court system trying to impose one of its own. Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Harry Nelson, founder and managing partner of Nelson Hardiman LLP, joined Cheddar to debate the ethics, efficacy, and legality surrounding the issue. While Cohn noted that she thinks the federal mandate might be legally sound, her organization is also concerned with a separate question of privacy. "At EFF what we're most interested in is the digital surveillance that's going along with some of these attempts to try to track and confirm whether people are vaccinated or not," she said.
Load More