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Pelosi Refers to Workers' Bonuses as 'Crumbs' Once Again

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January 26, 2018

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) once again referred to bonuses and wage increases, given out as a result of Republican tax cuts, as "crumbs" on Friday.

Pelosi tweeted a cartoon of an individual with "middle class" written on his back staring into a mouse trap with a morsel of food on the trip. Above the individual is an elephant in a suit saying, "We added a 2% increase to your crumb."

At the bottom of the cartoon in minuscule letters is the punch line of the joke: "We'll take it out of your retirement, which will be brief."

Along with the cartoon, Pelosi tweeted that she believes it is "obnoxious" that the Republican Party would think "workers should be weak-kneed with gratitude" because corporations are raising wages and giving out bonuses as a result of tax reform.

"Pretty obnoxious the GOP thinks workers should be weak-kneed with gratitude for corporations giving them pennies while pocketing a multi-billion dollar tax break stolen from the future of the middle class. #GOPTaxScam" Pelosi tweeted.

The cartoon seems to be the very same one that Pelosi alluded to Thursday in an appearance with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D., Fla.) at a "Trump Tax" town hall in Boca Raton, Florida. The Pelosi's appearance sparked renewed criticism after she, describing the cartoon above, echoed comments similar to the ones she made earlier this month, directly comparing raised wages and bonuses to "crumbs."

At the event, Shultz also waded into the controversy by claiming that some of the $1,000 bonuses being given out as a result of tax cuts won't "go very far."

Pelosi and House Democrats have come under fire from Republicans over their comments attempting to dismiss the impact of tax reform. Republicans have called the comments out-of-touch, but mainstream news outlets have completely ignored them.

A study conducted by the Heritage Foundation found that tax reform's boost to gross domestic product would translate to a monetary increase of about $4,000 to $4,400 per household. Furthermore, a report released by the International Monetary Fund on Monday found that the GOP tax cuts would boost overall economic growth to 2.7 percent in 2018.