The House of Representatives is poised to pass a massive rewrite of the U.S. tax code today that will overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthiest Americans. The bill would also end the federal health insurance mandate, endangering the Affordable Care Act, while opening up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. On Capitol Hill, hundreds of protesters flooded the offices of lawmakers Monday in civil disobedience protests. Among those arrested was Cincinnati resident Megan Anderson, who uses a wheelchair and has a degenerative neuromuscular disease. Anderson says the tax bill will lead to Medicaid cuts that could shorten her lifespan.
Megan Anderson: “I am begging the people that work for us to not kill me. This disease continues to get worse. I will one day need a tracheotomy, a ventilator. Please allow me that, so I can continue to laugh, continue to share tears of joys with my family, my friends and my community.”
The protests came as a new analysis by the Tax Policy Institute found that, by 2027, the top 1 percent would get 83 percent of the tax cut, while two-thirds of middle-class Americans would see a tax increase. The Senate is expected to vote on final passage of the bill later this week.