Monday, April 22, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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When I read that President Donald Trump’s new budget gives another $1 trillion tax break to the wealthy and his plan to repeal Obamacare would give a $600 billion tax cut to drug companies and health insurers, I felt my blood pressure rising. This new tax cut follows $2 trillion added to the national debt by the Trump-GOP tax law of 2017, which primarily benefited the ultra-rich. He wants to pay for both tax cuts by cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps and other necessary programs. That’s not right.
For two years, I was on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more popularly known as food stamps, because my full-time position only paid a stipend, which was barely enough to cover rent. My food stamps averaged $48.50 a week, and without it, I do not know what I would have done. For so many hardworking families, food stamps are the only reason there is food on the table.
Everyone needs to pay their fair share, but our tax system favors big corporations over working people. A New York Times investigation found that Trump and his family engaged in tax schemes for many years, and in 2018, more than 60 American companies paid $0 in federal taxes, despite profits of billions of dollars.
If we are going to afford health care access for everyone, improved education, stronger Social Security, and rebuilding infrastructure, the wealthy need to pay their fair share in taxes.
