Early on the morning of Dec. 20, a large group of middle-aged and elderly persons congregated in central Washington, D.C. Fifty-one of those persons — mostly male, almost exclusively white, and all wearing either a blue, gray, or black suits — gave speeches, made motions, and formally expressed their preference that the government should take less money from its citizens.

It was the biggest “bank heist in U.S. history.” At least, that’s how the junior Democrat senator from Oregon saw it. Despite the fact that no money was stolen and despite the fact that Republicans announced to the world their plan beforehand, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., accused his colleagues of stealing “$1 trillion out of our national treasury.”