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Katy Tur Can't Say How Much She'd Pay Under GOP Tax Plan After Ripping Bill in Interview With Congressman

MSNBC host: 'I haven't taken a look at it yet'

December 19, 2017

MSNBC host Katy Tur and Republican Rep. Dave Brat (Va.) had a tense exchange Tuesday over the Republican tax reform bill that looks likely to pass Congress, although Tur acknowledged she didn't know how much she would pay under the plan.

After Tur asked for Brat's salary to see what his individual rate would be, Brat asked in turn how much she made, and Tur said she didn't know what bracket she would fall under.

The sweeping overhaul keeps the seven individual tax brackets but lowers the rates, lowers the corporate rate from 35 to 21 percent, and repeals the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act.

Tur lit into Brat for the bill giving corporations that already have a "ton of cash" a tax break when they aren't already giving the money to their workers.

"Why not give that capital to the American worker through a tax cut that benefits them more than it benefits the most wealthy people in this country ... Why not give it directly to them so they can go out and they can spend and they can start the economy running again?" Tur asked.

Tur asked if this was about Brat's "donors," but Brat said it wasn't and he was a "man of the people back home."

"What drives me is economic outcomes that will help the American people," Brat said.

"What's the median household income of your district?" Tur asked.

"It's right about 60," Brat said.

"We have it at $73,000," Tur said, making it seem like she was quizzing Brat. "Something around there. What are you making, if you don't mind? What's in your bank account right now?"

"In my bank account?" Brat asked, surprised.

"What tax bracket are you going to be under in this bill?" Tur asked.

Brat held up a paper and said he would be in the 24 percent bracket. He said a married constituent of his who worked at Arby's at $20,000 a year wondered how he would fare under the bill, and Brat told him he would pay zero tax in the new plan.

"So you're at 24 percent. If we checked your tax returns for next year, you'd be at 24 percent," Tur said.

"Yeah," Brat said.

Brat asked Tur where she was at salary-wise to see how she'd fare under the bill, but Tur strangely replied, "I don't know, I haven't taken a look at it yet."

"You don't know? Come on," Brat said.

"I'm also not a lawmaker, so I'm not involved in marking up this bill or selling it to the American people like you are," Tur said.

Brat joked he wanted to know her salary to make sure the bill was "fair and balanced."