House Speaker Paul Ryan, R- Wis., faced a wave of backlash over a now-deleted tweet celebrating a Pennsylvania woman whose paycheck saw a $1.50-per-week increase due to tax reform.
Sharing a story from the Associated Press, Ryan wrote Saturday on Twitter: “A secretary at a public high school in Lancaster, PA, said she was pleasantly surprised her pay went up $1.50 a week… she said [that] will more than cover her Costco membership for the year.”
They deleted the Paul Ryan tweet.
For posterity, here it is. pic.twitter.com/iIdFZfp89J
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 3, 2018
Though Ryan was highlighting how workers have begun to see more money in their paycheck due to the GOP tax-reform bill that was signed into law late last year, many Twitter users mocked the tweet because $1.50 isn’t all that much money.
Republicans are proud of themselves for [checks notecard….adjusts glasses….squints] someone making .21 cents more a day? https://t.co/qMne593S3M
— jordan (@JordanUhl) February 3, 2018
As a thank you for passing a $1 trillion corporate tax cut, Paul Ryan received $500,000 in campaign contributions from the Koch brothers, which would probably cover the cost of buying a Costco. https://t.co/piiWqzOEGo
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) February 3, 2018
Do you know what $1.50 a week raise is for someone who works 40 hours?
That’s almost 4 cents a hour!
If your boss gave you their loose change and told you it was a raise would you be offended? pic.twitter.com/Tt3qrTZZOg
— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) February 3, 2018
Ryan’s tweet was later deleted, which egged on more detractors.
Ryan’s office did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for an explanation for why the tweet was removed.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the speaker’s deleted tweet “embarrassing” because it is “a blatant admission because he and Republicans don’t want you to know the truth: the #GOPTaxScam is a gift to corporate America and the top 1% at your expense.”
Guess someone told Paul Ryan you shouldn’t go around praising yourself for giving a working person an extra $1.50 a week — because he deleted this tweet. pic.twitter.com/JmrYpqvJhv
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 3, 2018
Earlier this week, top Democrats expressed similar sentiments while commenting on recent bonuses handed out from companies to their employees. Pelosi called the $1,000 bonuses just “crumbs,” while Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., called the bonuses “chump change.”
