In a rare call to action, the editorial board of the New York Times asked voters to call their senators to vote down tax bill.
The US Senate on Wednesday took a step toward passage of tax legislation that is a top White House priority, setting up a likely decisive vote later this week even though it was unclear if the bill had enough Republican support to become law.
Voicing their opinion against the proposed tax bill, in a rare move the editorial board of the New York Times called for action urging their readers to call seven Republican senators and tell them to vote down the bill.
According to a report on RT.com, the editorial board changed the bio of their @nytopinion Twitter handle to read, "temporarily taking over this acct. to urge the Senate to reject a tax bill that hurts the middle class and the nation's fiscal health."
In a series of tweets, the boards asked the 650,000 followers of the account to call the seven Republican senators who are considered on-the-fence about voting for the bill. The list includes Senator John McCain.
Using the #thetaxbillhurts, NYT editorial board tweeted several articles that specify information about the various provisions that would impact taxpayers.
The move irked the Republican party. In response to the NYT campaign their Twitter account posted the number of New York Times and asked their followers to "let them know how you feel about their liberal bias."
Responding to the tweet, NYT editortial writer Vikas Bajaj tweeted,
Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the 100-member Senate, giving them enough votes to approve the bill if they can hold together. Without Democratic support, Republicans can afford to lose no more than two of their own votes.
Democrats say the tax cuts are a giveaway to corporations and the wealthy at the expense of working Americans. Some Democrats have said Trump and his children would gain from the bill, which would repeal the estate tax on inherited wealth.
(With Reuters Inputs)
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