If you need more proof that the people creating U.S. Policies aren’t representative of those being affected by those policies, look no further than this photograph of the lawmakers responsible for drafting President Trump’s tax reform plan.
The photo was shared by Kasie Hunt, NBC’s Capitol Hill Correspondent, who noted the lack of women in the room.
Republicans start selling tax reform
(There are no women in this bicameral group.) Pic.twitter.com/bcNtuP6CPP
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) September 27, 2017
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While Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) Later joined the group, the photo highlights the fact that the people calling the shots are, for the most part, white men.
Indeed, the “Big Six”—the group of legislators who crafted the GOP reform “behind closed doors,” according to CNN, is comprised of half a dozen white men: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn, House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means chairman Kevin Brady, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Finance chairman Orrin Hatch.
This is not the first time the GOP has been called out for excluding women and people of color from policy proceedings. Back in March, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a photo of the group charged with deciding whether to get rid of Obamacare’s Essential Health Benefits, which required all insurers to provide certain health services—including maternity care.
Appreciated joining @POTUS for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it. #PassTheBill pic.twitter.com/XG6lQIy5a6
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) March 23, 2017
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) Retweeted Pence, with the caption: “A rare look inside the GOP women’s health caucus.”
A rare look inside the GOP’s women’s health caucus. Https://t.co/SgLmvSpeSM
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) March 23, 2017
The outcome of the white-male-led tax reform discussions? According to The Wall Street Journal, the new policy benefits “business owners who live in low-tax states, people who don’t take deductions, and heirs of very large estates.”
