Click HERE (14:37) to Watch Murphy's Remarks

WASHINGTON–Following House Republican’s passage of the budget resolution, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Thursday joined Fair Share America’s rally and grassroots organizers from more than 30 states, to call out Donald Trump’s tax cut scam and demand Congress stand with working families instead of billionaires and corporations.

Murphy pointed to the fight over Obamacare in 2017 as proof that grassroots resistance can stop even the most powerful forces in Washington: “[Republicans’] number one priority was to repeal the Affordable Care Act, right? To get rid of health care for 20 million Americans. I was here during that time, and I remember that the political pundits, all the smart people in Washington, said it's a done deal. It's their number one agenda. They control the House. They control the Senate. They control the White House. Obamacare is dead, right? [But] they didn't kill it because we mobilized, because we organized, because we threw sand in the gears at every single point in that process, because what they were trying to do was so deeply immoral, but it was also so deeply unpopular.”

Murphy slammed Trump and his billionaire friends for trying to strip away the vital services working Americans depend on, just to squeeze out more profits for themselves: “I frankly don't even know what it would be like to be a billionaire with an extra $100,000, right? I have no idea. I have no idea the kind of rapacious greed that it takes for somebody to demand more when you have so much. But you know what I do know? I know what it feels like for somebody who is living paycheck to paycheck, right? Who relies on Medicaid in order to make sure that their sick child gets the medications they need. I know what it feels like for that person to wake up one day and have their safety net ripped out from under them, right? I know the pain, the agony that that involves.”

“And so we have a job to do,” Murphy continued. “We have the power – not the billionaire class, not the thieves down the street – we can do, in 2025, exactly what we did in 2017. We can be a constant presence, not just here in Washington, but back in their states. If they won't meet with you, go find them. Show up to their offices, show up to their public events, right? Demand that they answer to you why they are putting the billionaires first.”

Murphy concluded: “I know that you can wake up every day and feel anxious, and feel angry about what they're trying to do to our country, what they're trying to do to Medicaid, what they're trying to do to give billionaires tax cuts, but also wake up with a little sense of joy, right? A little sense of joy, because you are here today, because you are at a point in your life where you can speak truth to power. You live in a country where accountability still exists. You live in a nation where you can stand up, speak up and stop evil from being perpetuated on the people of this country. So, I'm angry. I am anxious. But I am also joyous. Because I know that when the day comes, we are going to be able to stand together and say that together, united, we were able to stop the biggest transfer of wealth ever in this country, from the middle class and the poor to the rich. We will stop this tax cut for the wealthy.”

A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:

MURPHY: “All right, who matters more: the people or the billionaires?”

CROWD: “The people!”

MURPHY: “Let me ask you again, who matters more: the people or the billionaires?”

CROWD: “The people!”

MURPHY: “Listen guys, we have work to do, right? We have work to do. There is thievery happening down the street. They are stealing from the people of this country, and we are not going to let them get away with it.”

CROWD: “No!”

“So listen, this is really important, what you're doing, and I just want to remind you of a similar moment. So back in 2017 when Trump was president the first time, what was their number one priority? Their number one priority was to repeal the Affordable Care Act, right. To get rid of health care for 20 million Americans. I was here during that time, and I remember that the political pundits, all the smart people in Washington, said it's a done deal. It's their number one agenda. They control the House. They control the Senate. They control the White House. Obamacare is dead, right? 

“But, did they kill it?”

CROWD: No!!

 MURPHY: “And they didn't kill it because we mobilized, because we organized, because we threw sand in the gears at every single point in that process, because what they were trying to do was so deeply immoral, but it was also so deeply unpopular, right? 

“And what they are trying to do right now, this reverse Robin Hood, in which they steal from the poor and the middle class in order to enrich the very, very wealthy– who's asking for that in this country?”

CROWD: “No one!”

MURPHY: “No one. No one is asking to throw millions of people off their health care, to close rural hospitals and drug treatment centers all across the country, just so that a billionaire can get another $100,000 in a tax break. No one is asking for that in this country. 

“I frankly don't even know what it would be like to be a billionaire with an extra $100,000, right? I have no idea. I have no idea the kind of rapacious greed that it takes for somebody to demand more when you have so much. 

“But you know what I do know? I know what it feels like for somebody who is living paycheck to paycheck, right. Who relies on Medicaid in order to make sure that their sick child gets the medications they need. I know what it feels like for that person to wake up one day and have their safety net ripped out from under them, right? I know the pain, the agony that that involves. 

“And so we have a job to do. We have the power – not the billionaire class, not the thieves down the street – we can do, in 2025, exactly what we did in 2017. We can be a constant presence, not just here in Washington, but back in their states. If they won't meet with you, go find them. Show up to their offices, show up to their public events, right? Demand that they answer to you why they are putting the billionaires first. 

“The people in this country have the power. There are more of us than there are of them. Democracy is fragile, it is under assault today, but it is still alive in America, right? The people of this country still have the power. 

“What they are doing is immoral. What they are doing is unpopular. They are having a hell of a time passing it as we speak. All we have to do is convince a handful of Republicans that they will never ever set foot in their offices again if they vote for this billionaire tax cut. 

“So listen, do the work. Do the work. And I'll just end with this. Listen, I know that you can wake up every day and feel anxious and, feel angry about what they're trying to do to our country, what they're trying to do to Medicaid, what they're trying to do to give billionaires tax cuts, but also wake up with a little sense of joy, right? A little sense of joy, because you are here today, because you are at a point in your life where you can speak truth to power. You live in a country, right, where accountability still exists. You live in a nation where you can stand up, speak up and stop evil from being perpetuated on the people of this country, right? 

“So I'm angry. I am anxious. But I am also joyous. Because I know that when the day comes, we are going to be able to stand together and say that together, united, we were able to stop the biggest transfer of wealth ever in this country, from the middle class and the poor to the rich. We will stop this tax cut for the wealthy. Thank you, everybody.”

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