Democratic leadership was quick to slam the GOP's tax plan

Democratic leaders were quick to slam the GOP's tax plan, unveiled on Thursday.
They argued that the proposal would dramatically exacerbate income inequality by enriching corporations and the wealthy at the expense of middle and working class Americans.

Top Democratic lawmakers and leaders were critical of House Republicans' tax plan unveiled Thursday, calling the proposal "catastrophic" and a "Ponzi scheme" designed to enrich the wealthiest individuals and corporations at the expense of middle and working class Americans.

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren released a joint video in which they tore apart the GOP plan and argued that it will dramatically exacerbate income inequality.

"This is the issue of our time and if we don't rally the American people to stand up and create an economy that works for all of us ... this country is going to be in deep, deep trouble," Sanders said.

The GOP unveiled their tax ... @ Elizabeth Warren

Here are the reactions of some prominent Democrats:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

"This is a shell game, a Ponzi scheme that corporate America will perpetrate on the American people," Pelosi said during a press conference on Thursday. "But if you're the wealthiest 1%, Republicans will give you the sun, the moon, and the stars — all of that at the expense of the great middle class."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

"In the old days you could give a crumb to the middle class and give most of the tax breaks to the wealthy, and people would say, 'Okay,'" Schumer said in an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday. "But with income distribution, sourness and populism where they are, that's not working, so I think this bill has real trouble ... The more people find out about it, the less they'll like. This bill is like a dead fish. The more it's in sunlight, the more it stinks, and that's what's going to happen."

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

"They're planning to give away $2 trillion in tax giveaways to a handful of giant corporations," Warren told CNN. "Do you know who's going to make the most money out of this? It's projected to be Wells Fargo ... the next group that's going to make out big are foreign investors ... and the third big group are multi-national corporations, who will be given bonuses, in effect, for building their factories, for putting their jobs everywhere except America."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

"Only 12% of Americans believe the wealthy should receive a tax cut. So of course, Republicans are trying to give the wealthy a huge tax cut," Sanders tweeted. "The top 0.1% owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%. Republicans say that's not enough. 40% of their tax breaks go to the top 0.1%."

In a video with Warren, Sanders said that the only Americans who are cheering on the plan are "a handful of billionaire families who in this election cycle will spend many hundreds of millions of dollars to elect the candidates who support this crap."

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

"I'll sum up the new Republican tax plan: The super-rich and big corporations get kickbacks, middle class Americans are left in the dust," Gillibrand tweeted.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy

"At least GOP is unapologetic about the two goals of tax bill: (1) shift money from poor to rich; (2) shift money from D states to R states," Murphy tweeted. "Amendment: forgot 3rd goal of GOP tax bill: dramatically expand the deficit to force huge future cuts to education, roads, healthcare."

California Sen. Kamala Harris

Harris targeted the plan's aim to eliminate a tax levied on estates worth more than $5.49 million.

"Repealing the estate tax is a giveaway to those at the top — not something that will create jobs. We have to oppose this plan," she tweeted.

Democratic leadership was quick to slam the GOP's tax plan

Here are the reactions of some prominent Democrats:

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!