{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://nolan.house.gov/the-monday-report/scrooged", "Scrooged!", "2017-12-26", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Rick Nolan", "N000127", "nolan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Scrooged! \n Republicans Pass Their $1.8 Trillion Tax Giveaway for the Rich - at the Expense of the Middle Class \nThis cartoon by David Fitzsimmons of the Arizona Star perfectly captures what the Republican tax bill is really all about -- giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.\nDear Friend,\nThe simple truth is,the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is getting crushed.Andthis disastrous Republican tax bill makes the situation even worse. First off, this bill hands trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of Americans, and super rich corporations.\nThe Republican tax billgives 83% of its tax cuts to the richest 1% of Americans,and permanentlycuts the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.And it doubles the estate tax exemption,making the richest 1% even richer. Republican leaders believe that giving the rich extra money will somehow miraculously create more jobs and raise wages. But heres the simple fact Giving the rich more money will not create a trickle-down effect it never has. American corporations are alreadyhoarding $2.5 trillion in overseas bank accounts,and $2 trillion more here at home. There is no evidence that tax cuts create jobsor cause wealthy CEOs to increase their employees wages. In fact, the opposite is true:Middle class wages have stagnated for a quarter century, while the rich have hoarded trillions and trillions for themselves. Second, the simple fact is that this tax bill raises taxes on 83 million middle class households. Millions of middle class families will see their taxes go up, according to an independent analysis by the Tax Policy Center. At best,some middle class Americans get enough to buy a hubcapon a Mercedes Benz  whilethe millionaires and billionaires get enough to buy a whole Mercedes if not a fleet of Mercedes!\nAnd if thats not bad enough,the small middle class tax benefits are only temporary set to expire while the tax cuts for the rich are massive and permanent. Finally, this Republican bill  by increasing the deficit by $1.5 trillion dollars  sets the stage for the gutting of Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. Republicans have made it clear they intend to pay for these tax cuts for the rich by highway robbery and privatization of Medicare and Social Security and the wholesale gutting of Medicaid.This is absurd. Social Security has never missed a payment, never failed to make a profit, and haslifted millions of Americans out of poverty. Medicare, which funds and supports health care for our seniors, has  in just a few generations helped todouble life expectancy and dramatically increased the quality of life in America.\nAnd Medicaid provides a safety net for millions of seniors, children with disabilities, and others in need who might otherwise fall through the cracks in our society. Lets be clear:Medicare and Social Security are not entitlement programs.These arehard earned benefits that Americans pay for from the very first hour of the very first day on the job. But make no mistake when Republicans talk about entitlement reform, theyre talking aboutcutting Medicare and Social Security. In the spirit of the holiday season, Id like to close with an observation by Charles Dickens. In the story, A Christmas Carol, someone points out to Mr. Scrooge that the holidays are theone time when men and women open their hearts, and think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave,and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. So, Ive reminded Republican leadership:The middle class are your fellow passengers in this life.Theyre the ones struggling to make ends meet, just trying to put food on the table, take care of a sick parent, or buy clothes for their kids. So, in the spirit of the holiday season, dont be Scrooges.\nWe will keep you posted as events proceed. Meanwhile, I want to hear your thoughts. Feel free to contact any of our offices listed below orsend me an email.\nSincerely,  \nRead the full letter HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://nolan.house.gov/the-monday-report/scrooged"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.505317959934473, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}