WASHINGTON – Democrats cannot bet on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation to produce political change and must instead continue to fight for their policy agenda, the Rev. Al Sharpton told a crowd of progressive activists Thursday.
Speaking at the annual policy conference of civil rights group the National Action Network, Sharpton and progressive lawmakers highlighted the fight against the GOP tax package as a key component of that Democratic agenda.
Sharpton, who founded the National Action Network in 1991, warned that the bill’s corporate tax cuts would come at the expense of government programs: “They’re proposing things that will cost millions of people’s health care, millions of people’s jobs and really impair the entitlement programs.”
The Republican tax bill, which was released Thursday, was a central focus of the meeting — and was widely criticized by speakers. “What we’ve got to do is get people to understand that when they say this is a tax cut bill, the question is: tax cuts for whom?” Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told the audience.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser argued that the GOP tax plan would prevent mayors from investing in “equalizing opportunities.”
Sharpton argued that the best way to fight the Trump administration is to focus on policy specifics, even amid Mueller’s high-profile investigation into the president’s campaign and Russian influence in the 2016 election.
While possible political consequences of the Mueller investigation are uncertain, policy proposals like the Republican tax plan are clear and concrete, he said. “We need to fight about what we do know,” he said, “and not about what we don’t know.”
Representatives for House Speaker Paul Ryan did not immediately respond to requests for comment and an aide to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady also declined to comment.
The GOP tax plan would cut corporate taxes from 35 percent to 20 percent, set caps on mortgage deductions, increase standard deductions and the child care tax credit and phase out the tax on estates of more than $5 million. It also would reduce the number of tax brackets to three.
Sharpton’s comments come amid a major push by Democratic leadership to raise public awareness of the GOP tax bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have repeatedly spoken out against Republican tax proposals in recent weeks, including at the #NotOnePenny rally Wednesday and at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Speakers at the National Action Network conference also highlighted many of the network’s other core issues, including voting rights, jobs and racial equality. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called for automatic voter registration and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called for an increased minimum wage. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., warned that the Trump administration has promoted racism in its choices for top positions.
“Jeff Sessions was too racist to be a federal judge,” she said. “When he was nominated to be attorney general, we knew exactly what was going on there.”