Wealthy Republicans Push Tax Breaks for Themselfs While Cutting Social Programs

A report from the watchdog group Accountable.US highlights how wealthy Republican members of Congress stand to benefit from tax breaks they are pushing to extend, even as they support cuts to vital social programs that millions of their less affluent constituents rely on.

According to Accountable.US, the top 10 richest Republican senators and top 25 richest GOP members of the House hold collective net worths exceeding $1.1 billion and $1.4 billion respectively. These individuals are positioned to significantly benefit from the tax breaks enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which they are now seeking to extend.

This push for tax benefits for the wealthy coincides with consideration of a spending package – referred to in the source as President Trump and congressional Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” – which would cut food and healthcare benefits for millions of working-class Americans. Accountable.US calculates that dozens of the wealthiest GOP members, collectively worth an estimated $2.5 billion, gain from this overall legislative approach.

The report argues these wealthy members are advocating for “draconian cuts” to programs such as federal student aid, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – programs crucial for the millions of their constituents who depend on them.

Specifically, Accountable.US found that 6.3 million constituents represented by the top 10 richest senators and 2.1 million constituents represented by the top 25 richest representatives use SNAP and are at risk of losing food security. Additionally, 9.2 million constituents in the richest senators’ areas and 4 million in the richest representatives’ districts use Medicaid and face the risk of losing critically needed healthcare.

The report notes the irony that some Republicans voted for cuts affecting Medicaid despite having previously acknowledged high rates of dependency on the program in their own districts.