Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, and a Member of the House Budget Committee released the following statement about the passage in the U.S. Senate of the GOP tax scam:

“While America slept, Senate Republicans deviously pursued their irresponsible and obscene tax scam that betrays hard-working Americans and middle class families. Despite overwhelming opposition from leading economists and voices clear across the country, Senate Republicans acting out of extreme greed, passed their insane $1.7 trillion tax giveaway to wealthy corporations and the top one percent.

“Albert Einstein once defined insanity as ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ By this definition, Republicans pushing the GOP tax scam ought to be committed. Trickle-down economics has been tried multiple times since the era of President Ronald Reagan, and each time it has failed miserably.

“In the middle of the night, Senate Republicans voted to give huge tax breaks to big corporations that ship good-paying jobs overseas. Senate Republicans voted to stifle innovation, creativity, and social mobility by raising taxes on hard-working middle class families. And Senate Republicans voted to saddle our children and grandchildren with mountains of debt, all to further enrich the already wealthy. Insane!

“Next week when the bill goes to conference, Republicans in the House and Senate will have one last opportunity to allow sanity to prevail and scrap the GOP tax scam. The American people must continue to make their voices heard and if necessary, hold accountable those lawmakers who persist in supporting this insane tax bill.”