Oregon’s Unions Respond to Passage of GOP Tax Bill

Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain responds to the Senate and House of Representatives passing the GOP Tax Bill:

“The GOP’s tax plan passed a final procedural vote in the House today and will now head to President Trump’s desk. This bill is a holiday present to Wall Street and corporate CEOs wrapped in the false pretense of trickle-down economics, a failed strategy which does nothing to help working people prosper. It is a tremendous step backward for our country.

“We are disappointed to see Congressman Greg Walden vote in favor of this bill, and we applaud Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader for standing with working Oregonians and voting against this egregious tax plan.

“This shameful plan directly benefits the wealthiest Americans and allows their children to inherit millions tax-free, while the rest of us work and pay taxes to provide for our families. It’s a job killer: It ends taxes on corporate profits made overseas, which will only incentivize companies to send more jobs out of the country. It will lead to cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare to pay for the budget deficit made worse by the GOP’s shortsightedness.

“Instead of giving massive handouts to the wealthy, we need fair tax and budget policies which raise revenue to invest in our infrastructure, good jobs, public education and essential benefits.”