Senate Republicans have passed a sweeping rewrite of the U.S. tax code that will dramatically impact not only household income, but also healthcare, domestic spending and even oil and gas drilling. The plan would slash taxes by nearly $1.5 trillion, with most of the cuts benefiting major corporations and the richest Americans, including President Trump’s own family. The bill passed the Senate in the early morning hours of Saturday on a vote of 51 to 49, with every Democrat voting against the bill and all Republicans voting for it except for Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee. Democrats blasted Republican leaders for only making the final text of the nearly 500-page bill available a few hours before the vote. The final draft had handwritten notes scribbled in the margin.
— source democracynow.org 2017-12-05