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Liberals Slam Companies Giving Out Christmas Bonuses in Wake of Tax Reform Passage

Event following the passage of tax reform legislation / Getty Images
December 21, 2017

Several major companies announced plans to increase wages and give out holiday bonuses in response to Congress passing the Republican tax overhaul bill on Wednesday, but not everyone was excited about the news.

Large companies like AT&T, which said it will give $1,000 special bonuses to more than 200,000 employees and invest an additional $1 billion in the U.S., declared their plans on Wednesday afternoon, as the GOP passed sweeping tax reform that included a major cut in the corporate tax rate. The bill's passage marked the Trump's administration's most significant legislative victory to date.

President Donald Trump tweeted about the firms' actions on Thursday morning, writing that the "massive tax cuts" had already led to companies making "big payments to workers."

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/943819430735372289

Some media figures, however, expressed derision for companies like AT&T and Comcast making these announcements, describing them as crass public relations efforts or as attempts to curry favor with Trump.

One New York Times contributor suggested the bonus announcements were done to make Trump look good and would appear worse if done in another country.

MSNBC's Joy Reid said this was corporate America "trying to convince you that their naked greed is charity."

https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/943643293568692225

https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/943642378245672960

Left-wing "comedian" and blogger Dean Obeidallah called the bonuses "crumbs," echoing the sentiments of other liberal Twitter users and some journalists.