Senators Hatch, Brown have heated exchange on GOP tax plan

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) unloaded on Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) Thursday night after Brown accused Republicans of only protecting the rich in their new tax plan during a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

Brown said that the bill provides a tax cut that’s “not really for the middle class, it’s for the rich.”

Hatch, the committee chairman, quickly fired back at Brown, saying that he isn’t advocating for the rich but comes “from the poor people.”

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“I’ve been here working my whole stinking career for people who don’t have a chance,” Hatch said. “And I really resent anybody who says I’m just doing this for the rich. Give me a break.”

“I think you guys just overplay that all the time and it gets old, frankly you ought to quit,” he continued. “I get kind of sick and tired of it. … It’s a nice political play, but it’s not true.”

Brown quickly responded, saying that he gets “sick and tired of the richest people in this country getting richer and richer.”

The two senators loudly talked over each other as they tried to regain control of the floor.

“Listen, I’ve honored you by allowing you to spout off here but what you said was not right, that’s all I’m saying,” Hatch said. “I come from the lower-middle class originally, we didn’t have anything. So don’t spew that stuff on me, I get real tired of that crap.”

Hatch said that if Republicans and Democrats worked together “we could pull this country out of every mess it’s in.”

“Well let’s start with CHIP,” Brown interjected, referring to the Children’s Health Insurance Program that Congress failed to reauthorize last month.

“I’m not starting with CHIP. I’ve done it for years,” Hatch said of working on bipartisan bills. “I’ve got more bills passed than everybody on this committee put together, and they’ve been passed for the benefit of people in this country.”

“And now all I can say, I like you personally very much, but this bullcrap you guys throw out here really gets old after a while. And to do it right at the end of this, it’s just not right,” he said.

“It takes a lot to get me worked up like this.”

The heated exchange came as the Senate Finance Committee wrapped up debate on the new GOP tax plan. The committee approved the measure 14-12 along party lines on Thursday night, sending it to the full Senate.