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I participated in a call that just ended with Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) where they discussed the impact of the House GOP’s passed tax cuts for the rich and what it could mean for the odds of a Democratic Senate takeover in 2026.
Schumer said:
Let me just say, based on what the House has passed, our chances of taking back the Senate have just increased because while Republicans claim that their tax scam will lift America across the board. The American people see it’s just plain false.
The polling data shows it. The 0.1% people will get a big tax break. The poorest 20% of Americans actually see their taxes go up. How is that fair? It’s not just taxes, it’s poor. And working class families see the costs of everyday items skyrocket.
Just what they did on the clean energy side will lose millions of jobs and cost people much more on their electricity bills. Families are gonna have to figure out how to find extra money to pay for these energy costs. Families will lose healthcare. Families will lose food benefits. Families will lose jobs, families will lose money.
The reason because the Republicans want a billionaire tax giveaway. And we’re gonna fight this tooth and nail. We know that a lot of Republicans on the Senate side are squirmy about the Medicaid cuts, the disparity in the taxes, the clean energy cuts, et cetera. And we urge everyone who’s listening to this call or who read something in the press or online to make sure that they call their Republican senators and say, don’t vote for this billionaire tax scam.
Sen. Klobuchar said that the American people don’t want this bill, and Senate Republicans are already talking about changing it:
I think you all know we’ve been fighting this in the courts, in the Congress, and with our constituents by our side. In a recent poll, only 14% of Americans when asked how would you do something about the budget, what would you like? Only 14% would choose to cut healthcare, food, and education to extend the Trump tax cuts, which is exactly what this bill does.
Nearly 60% would rather raise taxes on the wealthy and big corporations to maintain services and reduce the debt. That is what the case that we’re gonna be making to the American people in the coming week and in the coming months. And, we have the people on our side and it’s on us to make that case.
And our Republican colleagues that you’ve already heard a number of them saying, we don’t wanna change Medicaid. Grassley said it would be a redo on the AG (agriculture) portion. So we’re listening to all that carefully and they need to stand up.
If Democrats and the American people make Senate Republicans change the bill, will the revised legislation be able to pass the House?
That is a question that may determine the fate of this legislation.
Sen. Schumer was right. The odds of Democrats gaining Senate seats and taking back the majority have gone way up after House Republicans passed their bill. It is still an uphill battle for Democrats, Senate Republicans are now branded with this bill, and what looked like an impossible uphill political climb keeps getting a little easier.
What do you think about Schumer and Klobuchar’s remarks? Share your thoughts in the comments below.