
Congressional Republicans planned to map out their next moves at a retreat held in the lap of luxury. But they didn't plan on the protesters who were waiting at the gates to greet them.

Republicans have declared an all-out economic war on the American people, and they are proud of it.

They tried repeatedly to strip millions of families of their health insurance. They rammed through a trillion-dollar tax giveaway to corporations and billionaires, at the expense of working people who are now losing their jobs.

To cap it all off, the GOP this week headed for their annual retreat at the Greenbrier, a five-star luxury resort in White Sulphur Spring, West Virginia. There, in sumptuous surroundings, House Speaker Paul Ryan talked up his 2018 plans to tackle workforce development  his latest sunny euphemism for cutting Medicaid, food stamps, and welfare.


If Republicans thought they would get a reprieve from public opposition at the Greenbrier, however, they were sorely mistaken. The Resistance was waiting for them at the gates.

Scores of protesters, gathered for a march organized by the Center for Popular Democracy Action in partnership with Tax March, converged on West Virginia Thursday from ten different states. The group, which included many low-income people who rely on the programs that the GOP was plotting to cut during discussions at the retreat, marched through the streets of West Virginia before arriving in White Sulphur Springs.

The crowd never ends!#RepealTheTrumpTax in White Sulphur Springs, WV pic.twitter.com/oBtfKCw7Ww — Tax March (@taxmarch) February 1, 2018

By Thursday afternoon, a huge crowd of protesters had gathered outside the gates of the Greenbrier:

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. The angry masses swarm the gates of the @GOP retreat. #RepealTheTrumpTax https://t.co/TYoFLYnHTf — Rob Bennett (@rob_bennett) February 1, 2018

This demonstration was only the latest in an aggressive series of nationwide campaigns by resistance groups, like the Repeal the Trump Tax Tour, designed to fight back against the GOPs toxic economic agenda. The group marching on Thursday said they were "fighting for an economy that works for everyone, and not just the wealthy few."

Ryan does not yet have universal support among Republicans in Congress for his plan to pay for the tax scams deficit spending with massive cuts to social programs. But he is determined for this to be a top priority this year  and Trumps unilateral action to let states boot Medicaid recipients off the rolls if they cannot find a job indicates he is on board.

Even for the GOP, the optics of gathering at a luxury resort to take health care and food assistance from the poor is beyond brazen. The American people are fed up  and increasingly, they're making themselves heard.