Sanders Statement on Trump's Harrisburg Speech

BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 11 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement ahead of President Donald Trump's speech on tax reform in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:

"Donald Trump is going to Pennsylvania to tell truck drivers how his tax plan will benefit them. Unfortunately, once again, the president is lying.

"His tax plan, based on the widely discredited theory of 'trickle down economics,' will provide virtually no benefit to truck drivers and will result in a tax increase for tens of millions of middle class Americans. It is designed to benefit the wealthiest people and the largest and most profitable corporations in this country.

"Nearly 80 percent of the tax benefits in Trump’s plan will go to the top 1 percent and 40 percent of the benefits will go to the top 0.1 percent by the end of the decade, according to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Further, as part of Trump’s overall budget, this huge tax gift to millionaires and billionaires will result in a $1 trillion dollar cut to Medicaid and a $473 billion cut to Medicare, in addition to massive cuts to education, nutrition and the needs of children, the elderly and the environment.

"Trump’s tax plan and his budget is the Robin Hood principle in reverse. He takes from the poor and working families of this country in order to give to the very rich. This disastrous proposal must be defeated."