EPIC: US Senator Slams Class Warfare Colleague on Tax Reform

Dear Friend, I came up during the Great Depression, living in a ramshackle house built with recycled lumber from the local scrapyard. To give you a taste of our living conditions, the biggest wall in our home was a Meadow Gold Dairy sign that overlooked a living room too small to fit even half the family. We could barely afford the food on our table, much less new clothes for school. So as a boy, I wore ill-fitting hand-me-downs everywhere I went, and was often made fun of for it. Last night, I had heard enough of the tired talking point that Repulblicans are only looking out for the rich. By working as a janitor to put myself through college, I was eventually able to escape the poverty of my youth—but I never forgot about it. I never forgot about going to bed hungry because we didn’t have enough to eat. I never forgot about the sleepless nights spent worrying that my father would lose his job the next day. And I never forgot about the sense of otherness I felt as the poorest boy in school. I have known poverty. I’ve lived it—and I’ve felt it in my bones. So the insinuation that I am in any way indifferent to the suffering of the poor is a personal offense to me. And I made this frustration known Thursday night to one of my Democratic colleagues, Senator Brown. I encourage you to watch the clip above where I tell the Senator about my own experience with poverty and where I set the record straight on tax reform. There are many myths surrounding the Senate tax proposal, which is why I want to make one thing unmistakably clear: My new tax plan is a boon for low- and middle-income Americans. It significantly lowers tax rates, allowing workers to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. And it doubles the child tax credit to $2,000, saving Utah families hundreds—and in some cases, even thousands—of dollars a year. I’ve spent the entirety of my public service fighting for those who don’t have a chance, and I will continue doing so with tax reform. Know that I will never stop working to help those who need our help the most. Sincerely,    Orrin