Dem Rep. Cohen: We Don’t Need to Reduce Spending, ‘We Need So Much’ More

On Monday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) argued that we don’t need to reduce spending and “we need so much” more spending.

Host Yamiche Alcindor asked, “Of course, one of the core sticking points here is the idea that Republicans are pressing for a reduction in spending. Do you agree that the U.S., as a nation, needs to reduce spending in the future?”

Cohen responded, “Well, not really. We’re a very wealthy country. We’ve got more billionaires and people earning just gazillions of dollars who got 87% of the benefit of the tax break that Trump gave them, gave to the upper 1%. Those people are getting away with murder and they’re trying to eliminate the estate tax so they get away with, not just murder, but mass murder. And there’s plenty of money around in wealthy people’s pockets that should be taxed. The Trump tax cuts should be repealed or at least reduced, I think they should be repealed…and the estate tax needs to be maintained. And there will be monies for helping people who don’t have enough, who have never had enough, people who didn’t get proper education…need to have better police in their communities so their communities are safe from guns. And we need so much that we don’t have, and we can afford it. We’re the wealthiest, most powerful country in the United States, we shouldn’t have people living in poverty, people living without having a fair standard of living. And we need to raise the minimum wage so if people work — which they do — they can get paid a fair wage and participate in this society.”

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