Sen. Cory Gardner (R., Colo.) and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney mocked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Tuesday for her derisive "crumbs" remarks about bonuses and wage hikes doled out by companies in recent weeks.
Dozens of companies have announced bonuses or pay raises in response to the Republican tax overhaul signed by President Donald Trump in December, although critics say workers are not seeing enough money from the legislation, which slashed corporate tax rates.
Among those critics is Pelosi, who called the bill "Armageddon" before it was passed and has since repeatedly referred to the bonuses and wage hikes as "crumbs" compared to the benefits reaped by corporations.
Mulvaney testified before the Senate Budget Committee about the White House's proposed 2019 budget, and Gardner, without naming Pelosi, poked fun at her criticisms.
Gardner agreed with colleagues that the budget process was faulty but said he did want to talk about something that was "working": the tax reform bill.
"Today, some more crumbs were announced for the American people," Gardner said, discussing MetLife's minimum wage boost to $15 an hour and multimillion-dollar investment in workers.
"We've seen utilities reducing their utility rates because of the tax cut bill. Director Mulvaney, what happens when people earn more money from a revenue standpoint?" Gardner asked.
"It goes up. In fact, that's exactly what our projections have shown," Mulvaney said. "One of the beneficial impacts of the tax bill is that the revenues are actually up on our projections, versus the CBO baseline. In fact, in 2027, we expect the government will take in almost $350 billion more—"
"But surely these are just crumbs, right?" Gardner interjected.
"I've often wondered if $1,000 would be a crumb if it came in the form of a government check," Mulvaney said.
Gardner said $1,000, the amount of bonus money that many major companies have given workers, could go a long way to paying someone's annual utility bill.
"Do you think that's crumbs?" Gardner asked.
"I do not," Mulvaney said.
"Do you think a minimum wage boost is crumbs?" Gardner asked.
"I do not," Mulvaney said.
"Do you think salary bonuses are crumbs?" Gardner asked.
"Only a very wealthy person from San Francisco would think that was a crumb," Mulvaney said in an unmistakable reference to Pelosi.
Trump recently mocked Pelosi over her comments, comparing them to Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables" remarks during the 2016 presidential campaign.