Jared Golden of Maine dismisses “Democrat in name only” label after opposing Bill Biden

Maine Representative Jared Golden once again opposed a new bill approved by President Joe Biden.

The Democrat was his party’s only vote against the Build Back Better plan, saying he made his decision because of what he described as “a $ 280 billion tax break for millionaires.” He previously voted against the $ 1.9 billion COVID-19 relief plan in March.

“I think we have made progress so far, but there is still time and it is not too late to do better,” he said in a statement. “I will vote ‘no’ tonight, but that does not mean that I will oppose a final version of this bill if significant changes are made to this legislation.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, he said people deserve better than the policies proposed by the Biden administration. Golden also maintained its vote against the COVID package.

“I don’t think people should take such things as the price to pay for doing business,” he said.

His recent opposition to these bills has led some party members to call him “Democrat in name only” or “DINO”. However, he dismissed the accusations, saying he worried about the future of the Democratic Party if it failed to retain its majority in Congress in the midterm elections.

Regarding the Build Back Better bill, he said 88% of millionaires would get about $ 17,000 in tax relief. Meanwhile, just over 1% of the profits would go to people earning less than $ 100,000 per year. Golden has argued that Democrats should not be supporting this regardless of which party the current president is in.

“Sometimes the truth hurts,” he said.

The Build Back Better bill is expected to be overhauled when it arrives in the Senate.

For more Associated Press reporting, see below:

Golden said the March COVID package was “too big, too fast” and was contributing to creeping inflation.

It’s all part of a delicate political balance for Golden, a Marine Corps veteran who serves an increasingly conservative district in the Maine countryside. His district, which covers nearly four-fifths of the area of ​​Maine, voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 even as he sent Golden to Congress for a second term. Republicans have made him a prime target as they attempt to win back the House in next year’s election.

His decision to break ranks on Biden’s bill drew contempt from Twitter on Friday.

He said his opposition to Biden’s bill centered on the national and local tax deduction, where a cap of $ 10,000 would be raised to $ 80,000. People earning less than $ 100,000 would get $ 20 or $ 30 under the provision, he said.

He said he expects these negotiations to produce a final version of the bill he can support.

Golden noted that Biden has sworn for months that the global proposal will be funded by the wealthy who do not pay their share of taxes.

“We have to pay it off,” he said.