Did Sen. Claire McCaskill (R-MO) just endorse key parts of President Trump's tax reform bill? It appears so. While she told the St. Louis Dispatch Wednesday that she wouldn't hesitate to vote to repeal tax cuts to the wealthy that were part of the legislation, she would not dare touch the tax cuts for the middle class.
“But there are parts of it that I would look at,” McCaskill, D-Mo., told the Post-Dispatch.
“For example, I don’t think people who make $400,000 in Missouri need a child-care tax credit. I am not sure that my family needs to pay less in estate taxes. I am not sure the pharmaceutical industry needs the level of windfall they have received without lowering prescription drug prices.
“So there are parts of it that I would look at, but I would never touch the parts that are actually delivering savings to the majority of the people in my state," she said. (St. Louis Dispatch)
That last part sure sounds like an endorsement.
It makes little sense, however, considering she voted against tax reform in December and has referred to the benefits to American workers as "scraps."
McCaskill's Senate challenger Josh Hawley said if McCaskill thinks the tax cut is too generous, why doesn't she refuse her own?
“But her complaint about the tax relief she's getting begs a major question," Hawley's campaign said in a statement Thursday. "Is Senator McCaskill going to voluntarily pay the money back to the treasury? They will gladly accept her 'scraps' if she doesn't want them.”
Other Democrats have indirectly admitted the benefits of tax reform by criticizing Republicans for failing to make the tax cuts permanent. Guy echoed those who are now challenging Democrats to put their money where their mouth is and vote on a bill that will do just that.
Of course, others like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have routinely dismissed employee bonuses in the wake of tax reform as "crumbs."