Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was hammered on social media Saturday when he cited a high school secretary’s $1.50 per week pay hike as a success of the GOP’s recent tax reform bill.
“A secretary at a public high school in Lancaster, PA, said she was pleasantly surprised her pay went up $1.50 a week … she said [that] will more than cover her Costco membership for the year,” said the Saturday morning tweet that has since been taken down.
Ryan included a link to an AP Business News story reporting that workers across the country had begun to notice larger paychecks thanks to the tax overhaul. But social media wasn’t buying what he was selling,
“That tweet about the $1.50 a week is not a PR mistake. It is really what they think,” wrote Sen. Brian Schatz from Hawaii.
“Did you tell her how much the paychecks of the 1% went up a week? Or that hers could have gone up a lot more if you had given them a lot less? #GOPTaxScam,” asked Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.
And @JordanUhl wrote: “Republicans are proud of themselves for [checks notecard….adjusts glasses….squints] someone making .21 cents more a day?”
Here are other not-so happy reactions to Speaker Ryan’s comment:
That tweet about the $1.50 a week is not a PR mistake. It is really what they think.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 3, 2018
Did you tell her how much the paychecks of the 1% went up a week? Or that hers could have gone up a lot more if you had given them a lot less? #GOPTaxScam https://t.co/X7YBcdAzTH
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 3, 2018
Republicans are proud of themselves for [checks notecard….adjusts glasses….squints] someone making .21 cents more a day? https://t.co/qMne593S3M
— jordan (@JordanUhl) February 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/959840911541788672
https://twitter.com/SethHanlon/status/959885446867189761
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/959847540886827008
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/959846614688059392
This is a parody account, right?
…right? https://t.co/rmBlqhZy9O
— Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) February 3, 2018