Tax reform is a priority for lawmakers on Capitol Hill as Republicans push toward a possible vote this week. President Trump has managed to sway two more GOP senators, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Bob Corker of Tennessee, to vote in favor of the legislation. The House has already passed their own version — a $1.5 trillion dollar tax cut — without a single Democratic vote. One of those to vote down the bill was Rep. Joe Kennedy. He spoke with WGBH's Morning Edition anchor Joe Mathieu in his district office in Newton, Mass. to discuss what this plan could mean for the Commonwealth and the likelihood of a government shutdown on Dec. 8.
Kennedy says that although the bill attempts to make the U.S. tax code more competitive and simplify the filing process for tax payers, it fails to address the most basic concerns that both Democrats and Republicans share. But, Democrats have been mostly left out of discussions pertaining to the drafting of the bill. On Tuesday, Democratic House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer ditched a scheduled meeting with President Trump in an effort to avoid a government shutdown following a tweet he posted hours before that read "I don't see a deal". Kennedy expressed frustration in the fact that Republican Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said the details of the bill won't be disclosed until it reaches the Senate floor.
"It's heartbreaking. It's frustrating — it's frustrating to be watching a part of this process," he said.
Rep. Kennedy recently offered an amendment to retain estate tax by extending the Earned Income Tax Credit to help childless working adults. But Kennedy says that amendment was rejected from being added to the bill due to the closed rule — a tactic that shuts down the amendment process and excludes public input from the legislative process. "This bill is a gift to predominantly, multi-national corporations and the already wealthy," he said.
Many across the country were outraged when President Trump chose to mock Sen. Elizabeth Warren about her claim to Native American heritage while honoring a group of Native American veterans in the Oval Office Monday. Rep. Kennedy, a former student of Warren's at Harvard law school, shared that feeling.
"I was stunned, because it was a highly inappropriate thing to say and a characterization of an extraordinary U.S. senator," he said.
Kennedy says he's concerned that this type of behavior is quickly being perceived as the new normal in Washington.
As allegations of sexual misconduct continue to flood corporate America, the government halls in Washington aren't exempt. In Washington this week, House members are expected to pass the first resolution that would require lawmakers to go through mandatory training about sexual misconduct in the workplace. Like other observers, Kennedy recognizes the root of the problem stems from power.
"What you have in Washington is a system that’s predicated on hierarchy. Clearly the institution as a whole needs to do a better job," he said.
