Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders explained how President Donald Trump’s controversial “big, beautiful” spending bill, which seeks to make a big to chop health care resources including billions of dollars in funding for Medicare, is merely a cash grab for the top 1% that could ultimately lead to the deaths of thousands of Americans over time.
“It’s horrifying for me to say this … unnecessary deaths of 50,000 Americans every single year,” Sanders told MSNBC, referencing findings from a study done by Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. “So in other words, this is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Americans in order to give tax breaks to billionaires, and if that is not obscene and disgusting, I don’t know what is.”
Earlier in the conversation, Sanders, who was asked to outline just exactly how the GOP-pushed legislation would impact Americans, said the act is the Republicans’ attempt to “do away with the filibuster,” which he notes has historically left some power for the minority group in a legislative debate. The politician also noted that the massive cuts to health care and the tax breaks billionaires will reap from them are ultimately reimbursements for those who’ve invested in the Trump administration from the very beginning.
“[This is] maybe the largest transfer of wealth from low income and working people to the top 1%, and as you indicated, we’re talking about $1 trillion in tax breaks to the 1% and in the midst of all that, there’s over $200 billion going to the top two-tenths of 1%,” Sanders said. “Families that inherit more than $30 million — so this not just a gift to the 1%. I have to admit, they paid for it.”
“When you have a corrupt campaign finance system and these guys spend hundreds of millions of dollars electing Trump, they’re getting back what they paid. But it really is quite disgusting that you give tax breaks to people who don’t need it. You throw 16 million people off the health care that they have, you cut nutrition programs for hungry kids, you make it harder for working class young people to afford to go to college — this is really an obscene piece of legislation.”
As for Elon Musk, who donated $288 million to Trump’s second run, Sanders said that there are other influential business figures who put forth monetary investments with desires to dip their toe in the political pool.
“This is what oligarchy is about and this is a reflection … about a corrupt campaign finance system. Why do you think billionaires provide huge amounts of money?” Sanders questioned. “It’s not just Republicans, it’s Democratic billionaires as well. Why do you think they put all that money in? Because they love politics and the democratic party? It’s cause they want something in return. And today is Payback Day. It’s Payback Day for the billionaires who finance not only Trump, but many Senate and House members.”
But all in all, Sanders said Democrats, in part, have themselves to blame, as he believes Americans didn’t have another leader to depend on.
“As to why low income and working people have voted for Trump in large numbers, I think that has to do with the failure of the Democratic Party to stand up for the working class in this country, and not giving ordinary people a real alternative. And that’s something I should tell you, that some of us are working very hard to change,” the senator concluded.
