In a Wednesday speech on the House floor, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) warned that the Republican-passed tax reform bill may hurt children like Charles Dickens' character Tiny Tim.
In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is initially dismissive of the sickly Tiny Tim, but later sees his future grave with the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. Tiny Tim is spared this grievous fate when Scrooge gives up his miserly ways and becomes like a second father to the boy.
Pelosi said she spoke with a family of an 11-year-old boy, Simon, who has a rare disease and cerebral palsy, and his family was concerned about the effects of the GOP tax bill. The final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed the Senate Tuesday night, and passed the House after a revote earlier Wednesday morning.
"His mother spoke of how their family watches the Muppet version of A Christmas Carol, and how Simon sees himself in Tiny Tim, another kind boy with braces on his legs," she said.
"Unfortunately, this story as of today does not have the same kind of happy ending as A Christmas Carol, but this story is not over," she insisted.
Pelosi argued that "like Tiny Tim, Simon and his family may find their future in danger because of the greed of those with power, the cruelty that is in the heart of the tax scam."
The congresswoman previously likened the GOP tax reform efforts to "Armageddon," and her critiques have been found by the Washington Post and Politifact to contain significant omissions, exaggerations or false information.