Savannah Guthrie grilled Paul Ryan on the GOP tax plan, asked if he was “living in a fantasy world”
The Republican tax bill has been all over the news the past few weeks, and the legislation has gained many vocal critics. Today host Savannah Guthrie added her voice to the dissent on December 20th, when she asked Paul Ryan “Are you living in a fantasy world?” — no, really, we want to know — after he claimed that the bill will benefit workers.
Guthrie mentioned that corporations will receive the highest tax cut under the new legislation. She then asked Ryan to verify that the belief that corporations will add money to the economy by creating jobs and raising wages was central to the Republicans’ belief in the tax plan. Ryan confirmed that the tax bill hinged on corporations adding money back to the economy.
Guthrie then challenged Ryan about the likelihood of this scenario. She noted that many CEOs have said they do not plan to reinvest with revenue from tax cuts. And she quoted an op-ed written by Michael Bloomberg on December 15th on his company’s website in which he criticized the tax bill for giving more money to CEOs.
“‘It’s pure fantasy to think that the tax bill will lead to significantly higher wages and growth’” Guthrie quoted Bloomberg as writing. She then turned to Ryan. “I’ll ask you plainly: Are you living in a fantasy world?” she asked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFm7fKqg13E?feature=oembed
Ryan ignored Guthrie’s pointed attack and continued to insist that tax cuts to corporations would help grow the economy. But Guthrie didn’t back down:
"The fact of the matter is corporations are already sitting on a ton of cash. They have record profits — $2.3 trillion. Why aren't they raising wages and creating jobs now?" She challenged Ryan.
Guthrie ended the interview by asking Ryan how Congress intended to address the sexual assault allegations leveled against President Donald Trump. When Ryan attempted to dismiss her questioning as a partisan attack, she cited the White House’s official position that Trump’s accusers are liars.
The Republican tax bill passed both houses of Congress today, December 20th, and Trump will sign the bill into law this afternoon. But given the potential negative effects this bill would have on many Americans — and how much more dangerous it would make being a woman — it’s important to continue to challenge it. We applaud Guthrie for asking these important questions.
