To Denounce Immoral #GOPTaxScam, Nuns on the Bus Begin 54-Stop US Tour Ahead of Midterms

Arguing that the Republican Party violated basic morality last year when it pushed through President Donald Trump's tax plan, the progressive Catholic group "Nuns on the Bus" embarked on a cross-country tour this week, targeting Republicans who are fighting to keep their seats after voting for massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Led by Sister Simone Campbell and the Catholic social justice group NETWORK, the Nuns on the Bus began their Tax Justice Tour in Los Angeles, with plans to stop in 54 congressional districts across the country to talk to voters about the impact the "GOP Tax Scam" has had on American families.

"We know that this tax policy hurts our communities while giving handouts to the wealthiest in our nation," said the group. "Nuns on the Bus will encourage voters to focus electoral energy on reasonable revenue for responsible programs ahead of the 2018 midterms."

"This bus trip is all about us coming together to reclaim the patriotic truth that is 'We the People'," Campbell told a local Fox News affiliate in Southern California.

After selling the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a plan that would encourage companies to hand out raises and boost hiring as well as giving significant tax cuts to the middle class, the GOP passed a law last December whose benefits mainly went to corporations and the wealthy.

While corporations enjoyed a 15 percent tax cut this year, costing the country $1.5 trillion, numerous studies have shown that their financial windfall has gone mainly to their shareholders instead of to the workers who keep companies running.

"Tax and budget policy and the choices we make about them tell us about our values as a country," said Gene Sperling, a former economic advisor under President Barack Obama who is joining the nuns on the bus trip.

The nuns plan to make stops in the districts of House Republicans including Reps. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), who is running for a Senate seat; Peter Roskam (R-Ill.); and Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) on their way to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida property.

All but 12 Republican members of the House voted in favor of the tax plan, with Roskam calling the law a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" for the party.

The nuns are among many religious leaders who have objected to the tax law on moral grounds. House Chaplain Rev. Patrick Conroy was nearly forced out of his position after leading a prayer last November expressing hope that the law's benefits would be "balanced and shared by all Americans."

"Our goal," the nuns say, is "to tell the truth about the Republican tax law and hold elected officials accountable for their votes."