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mike johnson
Campaign Targets Billionaire Tax Giveaways as GOP Set to Shaft Working Families
"Working-class people cannot afford to pay for these outrageous billionaire tax breaks," said a new ad targeting Republican tax proposals.
Feb 07, 2025
As the White House attempted to push the claim that U.S. President Donald Trump's tax agenda is aimed at reducing financial burdens for working families, a fair taxation advocacy group on Friday issued a reminder about the rich corporations and CEOs who have aligned themselves with the administration—funding Trump's election campaign and attending his inaugural events.
"Remind me, who was front and center at the inauguration? Oh right, billionaires," said the group, Unrig the Economy, in an ad that was launched in Nebraska on Friday, referring to the tech moguls who were seated steps away from the Republican president as he was sworn in.
The ad was one of two unveiled by Unrig the Economy on Friday, with the group targeting Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)—both of whom have pushed for the Republican tax plan to include lifting the $10,000 limit on the state and local tax deduction (SALT), a move that would benefit wealthy households.
Both Bacon and Lawler won highly competitive reelection campaigns last year, and the ads targeting them "call on constituents to demand that their elected leaders oppose tax breaks for billionaires that will be paid for on the backs of working families," said Kobie Christian, spokesperson for Unrig Our Economy.
"Many American families are already struggling with rising costs, and Trump's tariffs and Republican-backed cuts to necessary programs that everyday people rely on would just make things worse," said Christian. "Working-class people cannot afford to pay for these outrageous billionaire tax breaks supported by Rep. Lawler and Rep. Bacon."
The ad targeting Lawler warns that the swing-district congressman's proposals would "cut taxes for billionaires and make the middle class pay for it."
Along with lifting the cap for the SALT deduction, the priorities Trump laid out for Republican leaders in a meeting on Thursday included an elimination of taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits; an end to tax breaks for sports team owners; the closing of the "carried interest loophole," which benefits private equity and investment firm executives; and a renewal of expiring provisions on the GOP's 2017 tax cuts—whose benefits primarily went to corporations and the wealthy.
The carried interest tax deduction was also proposed in 2017, but was watered down in the final tax plan amid opposition from Wall Street—pushback that Republicans are likely to face again.
Chuck Marr, vice president of federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)—which released a policy brief on the extension of the 2017 tax law this week—posted a chart on social media showing how tax cuts for the top 5% of earners would make up nearly half of the cost of extending the law.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday emphasized Trump's proposal to end taxes on tips as a provision in the plan that would help make it "the largest tax cut in history for middle-class, working Americans."
But at One Fair Wage, which advocates for an end to the subminimum wage for restaurant industry workers, co-founder and president Saru Jayaraman said the proposal mainly benefits people "making over $300,000" per year—not the working class.
"What we are going to need to see as working people across this country is elected officials, whether they're Democrats or Republicans, actually delivering for working people, not through empty promises or false solutions like 'no tax on tips,'" said Jayaraman.
According to CBPP's analysis, an extension of the 2017 tax cuts would reduce tax payments by about $61,000 per year for the top 1% of households—those who make $743,000 per year or more—and by about $400 for those in the bottom 60%, who make about $96,000 or less.
On "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) admitted that extending the 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy would "blow a hole in the deficit" without offsetting the loss of revenue.
"But we're definitely going to get that extended, so we've got to find those savings," he said. "The tariffs are going to bring in revenue, we're going to have massive savings by making government more efficient and effective."
At Unrig the Economy, Christian said the House speaker had let slip an "outrageous admission" and confirmed "what we already knew."
"Congressional Republicans' top priority is enriching the wealthy on the backs of working families," said Christian. "Even as Americans continue to face higher prices nationwide, Republicans insist on further increasing costs for regular people by imposing tariffs on everyday items and cutting federal funding for essential programs such as healthcare and childcare to pay for billionaires' tax breaks. It goes to show that Speaker Johnson and Republicans are determined to keep putting the megarich first and the American people last."
Johnson's comments came as Trump's billionaire backer, tech mogul Elon Musk, was making his way through a takeover of federal agencies through the advisory body the president set up and appointed him to lead, the Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE).
The president is preparing to try to close down the Department of Education, and DOGE has seized control of a Treasury Department payment system that oversees the disbursement of Medicare and Social Security benefits, among other payments.
For American households making less than $96,000 per year, said Americans for Tax Fairness, the Republicans are "going to cut your healthcare, education, Social Security, housing, and more to pay for tax breaks for the rich and corporations."
"In return, you get about $1 a day," said the group. "What more could you ask?"
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Here's How the GOP Could Cut Over $5 Trillion—And Gut Healthcare, Climate Action
"Americans: We just want higher wages and lower costs. Republicans: We are going to take away your healthcare."
Jan 10, 2025
Some Democratic lawmakers and other critics of congressional Republicans on Friday pointed to a document obtained by Politico as just the latest evidence that the looming GOP trifecta at the federal level poses a threat to working families nationwide.
"Americans: We just want higher wages and lower costs. Republicans: We are going to take away your healthcare," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in response to the reporting, which came as Republicans have taken control of both chambers of Congress and prepare for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in just over a week.
The one-page list originated from the House Budget Committee, chaired by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Politico reported, citing five unnamed sources. One of them explained that the "document is not intended to serve as a proposal, but instead as a menu of potential spending reductions for members to consider."
The document lists various policies that it claims would collectively cut up to $5.7 trillion. Republicans have been discussing how to offset the high costs of top priorities—specifically, Trump's immigration policies and plans for tax cuts that critics warn would largely benefit the wealthy, like the law he signed in 2017.
"In order to make his rich, billionaire buddies richer, Trump wants to kick millions off healthcare coverage and starve families. How does this help working families thrive?"
The policies are divided into eight sections, with headings that critics called "dystopian" and "Orwellian." The first calls for repealing "major" health rules from outgoing President Joe Biden's administration, which would supposedly cut $420 billion. The second section takes aim at Medicare, the federal health program for seniors, proposing policies that would cut $479 billion.
A large share of the potential cuts would come from section three, which lists seven potential changes to Medicaid, a program that provides health coverage to low-income people. The policies include per capita caps, work requirements, and lowering the federal medical assistance percentages (FMAP) floor.
"In order to make his rich, billionaire buddies richer, Trump wants to kick millions off healthcare coverage and starve families. How does this help working families thrive?" Michigan state Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-47) asked on social media. "In this leaked list of cuts, 'lower FMAP floor' for Medicaid means states pay a higher proportion of Medicaid costs for enrollees—this just shoves [federal] costs to states so billionaires get more yacht money."
Section four of the document calls for "reimagining" the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to cut $151 billion, with changes that include repealing the Prevention and Public Health Fund, limiting eligibility based on citizenship status, and reclaiming $46 billion from subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
The fifth section lays out $347 billion in cuts by "ending cradle-to-grave dependence," targeting initiatives including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), often called food stamps.
Section six claims "reversing Biden climate policies" would cut $468 billion: $300 billion by discontinuing some provisions from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure legislation, $112 billion by rolling back electric vehicle policies, and $56 billion by repealing green energy grants from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The seventh section is a catchall, listing up to $1 trillion in potential cuts through moves that include ending student debt forgiveness, restricting emergency spending, and reforming federal employee benefits. Section eight identifies up to $527 in potential tax offsets from requiring Social Security numbers for the child tax credit and green energy credits.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who recently agreed to use the budget reconciliation process to cut $2.5 trillion, "can't afford any Republican defections if he wants to pass a package on party lines," Politico reported. "Even proposed cuts to green energy tax credits, worth as much as $500 billion, could be tricky—as the document notes, they depend 'on political viability.' Already 18 House Republicans—14 of whom won reelection in November—warned Johnson against prematurely repealing some of the IRA's energy tax credits, which are funding multiple manufacturing projects in GOP districts."
Sharing the report on social media Friday, Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) stressed that "Republicans want to cut vital food and healthcare support programs to pay for a tax cut for billionaires and large corporations. The GOP wants working families to pay for their billionaire handouts."
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'The GOP Promised to Make Life Easier for Working Families,' But Here's the Real Agenda
"Mike Johnson is committing to slashing Social Security and Medicare to get the speaker's gavel," said one progressive group.
Jan 03, 2025
As Republicans took full control of Congress this week and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump prepared to take office later this month, Democratic lawmakers renewed warnings about how the GOP agenda will harm working people and pledged to fight against it.
"Today, the 119th Congress officially begins. Our top priority over the next two years must be fighting for working families and standing up to corporate power and greed," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on social media Friday.
"While Republicans focus their energy for the next two years on giving tax breaks to the rich and cutting vital public programs, Democrats will continue working to lower costs and raise wages for all," Jayapal promised. "We'll always be fighting for YOU."
In addition to members of Congress being sworn in on Friday, nearly all Republicans in the House of Representatives reelected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as speaker and the chamber debated a rules package that Democrats have criticized since it was released by GOP leadership earlier this week.
"Their governance will be marked by consolidated power, scapegoated communities, and campaigns of punishment."
The package fast-tracks a dozen bills on a range of issues; they include various immigration measures as well as legislation attacking transgender student athletes, sanctioning the International Criminal Court, requiring proof of United States citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, and prohibiting a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for fossil fuels.
"Speaker Johnson has said that the 119th Congress will be consequential. Today, both in Speaker Johnson's address and in the rules package the Republicans have passed, Republicans have shown us what the consequences of their leadership will be," Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.) said in a statement. "In their first order of business, Republicans advanced a legislative package that abuses the power of Congress to persecute trans children athletes, take federal funding away from sanctuary cities like Chicago and Illinois, scapegoat immigrants, erode voting rights, and put new criminal penalties on reproductive care providers."
"For the first time in history, they seek to make the speakership less accountable to the full body of legislators and to limit our ability to consider emergency bills," Ramirez noted. "Overall, they are using the rules to make Congress less transparent, less accountable, and less responsive to the needs of the American people. Their governance will be marked by consolidated power, scapegoated communities, and campaigns of punishment."
Speaking out against the package on the House floor, Jayapal said it "makes very clear what the Republican majority will not do in the 119th Congress," stressing that the 12 bills "do nothing to lower costs or raise wages for the American people."
These bills also won't "take on the biggest corporations and wealthiest individuals who profit from the high prices and junk fees and corporate concentration that's harming Americans across this country," she said. "Because guess what? These corporations and wealthy individuals are the ones that are controlling the Republican Party for their own benefit."
Jayapal highlighted the exorbitant wealth of Trump's Cabinet picks, just a day after the president-elect announced corporate lobbyist and GOP donor Ken Kies as his choice for assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department—which is set to be led by billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, as Republicans in Congress try to pass another round of tax cuts for the rich.
GOP lawmakers are also aiming "to make meaningful spending reforms to eliminate trillions in waste, fraud, and abuse, and end the weaponization of government," Johnson said in a lengthy social media on Friday. "Along with advancing President Trump's America First agenda, I will lead the House Republicans to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory."
In other words, responded the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), "Mike Johnson is committing to slashing Social Security and Medicare to get the speaker's gavel."
Republicans have a slim House majority and Trump-backed Johnson was initially set to fall short of the necessary support to remain speaker, due to opposition from not only Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) but also Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas). However, after a private conversation, Norman and Self switched their votes.
"Johnson cut a backroom deal with the members that voted against him so they'd flip their votes. So he will get gavel now. I'm sure in time we'll find out what he sold out just so he'd win," Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) said on social media.
"What did Johnson sell out to become speaker? Social Security or Medicare? Or perhaps veterans?" he asked.
Citing a document circulated ahead of the vote by Johnson's right-wing critics that lists "failures" of the 118th Congress, the PCCC said: "Looks like all of the above. But his holdouts put Social Security in their first bullet of grievances."
After the vote, Norman and 10 right-wing colleagues released a letter explaining that, despite sincere reservations, they elected Johnson because of their "steadfast support of President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors."
"To deliver on the historic mandate earned by President Trump for the Republican Party, we must be organized to use reconciliation—and all legislative tools—to deliver on critical border security, spending cuts, pro-growth tax policy, regulatory reform, and the reversal of the damage done by the Biden-Harris administration," they added.
Politicoreported that "House Republicans are hoping to start work on the budget targets for critical committees on Saturday—the first step in kicking off their ambitious legislative agenda involving energy, border, and tax policy."
According to the outlet:
"The Ways and Means Committee is just going to be able to draft tax legislation according to what the budget reconciliation instructions are," said House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who will be leading the charge on extensions of... Trump's tax cuts.
"And so when the conference figures out what they want in those instructions, we'll be able to deliver according to those parameters," said Smith, when asked about the primary goal of a GOP conference meeting tentatively scheduled for Saturday at Fort McNair, an Army post in southwest Washington.
That followed Thursday reporting by The Washington Post that Trump advisers and congressional Republicans "have begun floating proposals to boost federal revenue and slash spending so their plans for major tax cuts and new security spending won't further explode the $36.2 trillion national debt."
As the newspaper detailed, 10 policies that Republicans have considered are tariffs, repealing clean energy programs, unauthorized spending, repealing the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness, shuttering the Education Department, cutting federal food assistance, imposing Medicaid work requirements, blocking Medicare obesity treatment, ending the child tax credit for noncitizen parents, and cutting Internal Revenue Service funding.
"The GOP promised to make life easier for working families," Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the Democratic whip, said on social media in response to the Post's article. "Now, they want to slash your school budget, raise your grocery costs, and hike your energy bills—all to pay for billionaire tax cuts."
"We will not allow Republicans to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food assistance to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy," she added Friday. "No way."
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