The significant tax reform legislation recently passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and President Trump is credited with drawing ample business opportunities back to the United States. It’s also cited as being partially responsible for several store closures and layoffs across the country. Whichever way you fall on the matter, the tax cuts long-touted by Trump and his congressional allies, like House Speaker Paul Ryan, are already affecting American workers across the board. So says a recent Associated Press report, which Ryan apparently liked so much, he decided to tweet about it Saturday morning.
He was especially taken with the story of Julia Ketchum, a high school secretary in Pennsylvania who told the AP “she was pleasantly surprised her pay went up $1.50 a week.” Adding that she “didn’t think her pay would go up at all,” Ketchum told the outlet the “$78 a year” she would now be receiving “will more than cover her Costco membership for the year.” Ryan liked this so much, he paraphrased the AP’s account of Ketchum’s meager pay increase in a tweet from his personal account:
Yet the speaker, who is reportedly considering leaving his vaulted position in the House later this year, ultimately deleted the tweet due to the outcry that resulted. For even though Ketchum seemed genuinely happy about the weekly increase of $1.50, its comparison to the projected $1.5 trillion in debt they will add to the federal deficit over the next 10 years didn’t sit too well with Ryan’s critics.
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/959866885113352192
https://twitter.com/drewmagary/status/959848394431836161
[holding back tears]
Paul Ryan……………..
thank you. pic.twitter.com/gQwYeY2RpR
— Chris Jackson (@ChrisCJackson) February 3, 2018
I don't know that this is something to tout. A check for $1,000 is a big deal for many people…I understand why elected officials promote that. But $1.50 a week shouldn't be put up as an example. pic.twitter.com/YeF0yjGKxM
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) February 3, 2018
just wait until that secretary finds out how much more Paul Ryan makes per week
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) February 3, 2018
AIDE: mr ryan ppl are saying ur only working to help the billionaires. they say you hate everyone who isn’t rich
PAUL RYAN: oh yeah? well I’ll show them *chucks a handful of loose nickels at the back of a teachers head*
— america's lounge singer (@KrangTNelson) February 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/959850915590295557
https://twitter.com/KT_So_It_Goes/status/959850477746876416
Tfw you really believe you can sell people on a raise that amounts to one McChicken each week while you try to take their health care away pic.twitter.com/pvTO6IYPrC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 3, 2018
A street urchin in the Waukesha kasbah said he was pleasantly surprised when three more beans than average spilled from a passing cart https://t.co/IEewMetZAm
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) February 3, 2018
Between Piers Morgan and Paul Ryan, this is a banner weekend for self-owns.
— Maggie Serota (@maggieserota) February 3, 2018
PAUL RYAN: The intern who did the bad tweet has been fired, which is a shame because his paycheck recently went up $0.07 per week under our tax plan
— Chris Mohney (@chrismohney) February 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/959864261546840064
“But you said giving our money to the top 1% would help to the poor.” pic.twitter.com/nh4UrmcRnM
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) February 3, 2018
(Via Associated Press)