Michiganders, lawmakers rally in D.C. against tax breaks for billionaires, corporations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some Michiganders were at the capitol Thursday rallying for "tax fairness for working families," according to organizers.

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Michigan Families for Fair Care, Fair Share America, along with advocates, workers, and community members, were sending a message: no more tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, especially not at the expense of hardworking families, event organizers said.

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Some lawmakers present were:

• Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), Ranking Member, House Budget Committee & Event Co-host
• Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee
• Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member, Senate Budget Committee
• Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee
• Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), House Democratic Whip
• Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51)
• Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34)
• Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE-AL)

Attendees were gathered around speakers discussing fundings cuts to programs such as Head Start, Pell Grants and Medicaid.

"Not only are they slashing the programs families depend on to thrive, they are also running up massive debts for the next generation," Rep. Brendan Boyle (D - PA), said. "The Republicans have updated tax giveaway strategy and before we were saying...over ten years, they're going to inflict some $4.6 trillion. And then now it's $7 trillion of new debt. New debt. Why? For tax cuts for billionaires."

Previously, the Department of Government Efficiency has expressed a need for increased oversight over federal government spending and has targeted some of their actions towards Medicaid, the United States Postal Service, the Department of Education and Social Security, citing improper spending.

Rally goers chanted throughout the event, expressing concern over "the rich getting richer" at the expense of working class people.

"What they are trying to do right now, this reverse Robin Hood, in which they steal from the poor and the middle class in order to enrich the very, very wealthy," Sen. Chris Murphy (D - CT) said. "No one is asking to throw millions of people off their health care, to close rural hospitals and drug treatment centers all across the country, just so that a billionaire can get another hundred thousand dollars in a tax break...I have no idea the kind of rapacious greed that it takes for somebody to demand more when you have so much."