鬼百合
Let It Burn!
Representative Mike Lawler, who is in a swing district, seemed unbothered by the potential consequences of his admission.
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
MAGA Rep Admits Trump Scammed People With Budget Bill
Representative Mike Lawler, who is in a swing district, seemed unbothered by the potential consequences of his admission.
newrepublic.com
Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is on its way to his desk thanks to a 218-214 vote in the House.
MAGA representatives, however, could hardly wait after the vote was over to reveal that some of their biggest advertising points on the bill to working-class America were actually complete duds.
Speaking with Fox News, New York Representative Mike Lawler confirmed that the bill’s “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” provisions would expire just before Trump’s term was out.
“This bill starts to make significant savings across the entirety of the federal government so that we can actually reduce spending and bring down the cost of living for Americans,” Lawler said. “This is a big win for Americans across the country, you look at the tax provisions, the doubling of the standard deduction, the enhanced child tax credit, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime—”
But the Fox reporter interjected to correct him: “Those expire in 2028, correct?”
“Sure, within the tax code, but that’s normal,” Lawler said. “The objective here is to provide real and immediate relief to Americans all across the country.”
But the bill is not expected to save the government any money. Instead, Trump’s key legislative victory—which will slice taxes on the ultrawealthy and corporations—is expected to add upwards of $6 trillion to the debt, according to a projection from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez scorched the “no tax on tips” provision during a heated floor speech Tuesday, telling lawmakers that, “as one of the only people in this body who has lived off of tips,” the promise was little more than a “scam.”
“The cap on that is $25,000,” she said, “while you’re jacking up taxes on people who make less than $50,000 across the United States, while taking away their [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance] program, while take taking away their Medicaid, while kicking them off of the [Affordable Care Act] and their health care extensions.”
The “big, beautiful bill” will also gut $880 billion from Medicaid and other crucial social programs, a detail so ill-favored by Americans that conservative lawmakers stopped holding town halls after the line item was announced due to staunch opposition from their constituents.
But Lawler wasn’t concerned that passing Trump’s glorious budget agenda could have ramifications on their own elections come midterms.
“Do you think that this could come back to bite Republicans next November by any chance?” Fox asked him.
“No, once the American people understand everything that is in the bill as opposed to what the Democrats have told them is in the bill, they are going to support the largest tax cut they have seen. Had we not passed this bill, you would have had the largest tax cut in history,” Lawler said.
That’s by design: Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 arranged for individual provisions to expire at the end of 2025, effectively forcing a tax increase for the majority of Americans by 2026.
Ocasio-Cortez, in turn, slammed the New York conservative, writing that “it’s not normal.”
“Lawler voted to make the tax breaks on billionaires PERMANENT while making the no tax on tips (just for those making less than $25k) EXPIRE in just 3 years,” she posted in response to Lawler’s interview. “He’s also kicking tipped employees off Medicaid, ACA, and clawing back their SNAP.”
