'Beyond unacceptable': Bernie Sanders slams Democrats' $1.75 trillion spending package after analysis said it would cut taxes for the rich
Sen. Bernie Sanders described a new proposal for Democrats' spending bill as "beyond unacceptable."
An analysis found a repeal of a cap on certain tax deductions would greatly benefit the wealthiest.
The $1.75 trillion bill has been mired in the Senate amid disputes among Democrats.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Tuesday said it would be "beyond unacceptable" for Democrats to add a provision to their massive social-spending bill that one analysis found could end up delivering a huge tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.
Insider and other outlets reported on Tuesday that the new provision was being touted for the stalled $1.75 trillion plan.
The new addition would repeal the $10,000 cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes, a move that has long been championed by some Democratic lawmakers, who believe the Trump-era law unfairly affected people in high-tax blue states like New Jersey and California.
It had a particular impact on people with properties in more than one state, who were unable to deduct large state tax obligations from their federal tax bill.
But an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projected that a repeal of the cap could end up costing the federal government far more than any proposed higher taxes on the wealthy and would result in a $30 billion net direct tax cut for the wealthiest 5% of Americans.
"That is beyond unacceptable. I will not support more tax breaks for billionaires," Sanders tweeted Tuesday, linking to a CNN report on the analysis.
"Democrats campaigned and won on an agenda that demands that the very wealthy finally pay their fair share, not one that gives them more tax breaks," Sanders said in a statement. "I am open to a compromise approach which protects the middle class in high-tax states."
"I will not support more tax breaks for billionaires," he added.
Democrats' large bill, which is focused on social programs and climate initiatives, has been mired for weeks in Congress amid disputes between among Democrats over its scale and how it should be funded. The Democrats have a razor-thin majority in the Senate that means the objections of a single lawmaker to any measure must be accommodated to pass the bill.
Sanders has signaled he is open to revising but not repealing the SALT code.
"There are middle-class families in states where property taxes are very high that are paying a whole lot in state and local taxes. And I think we have to support them," Sanders said during an interview with MSNBC in June.
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