Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate Thursday passed a final tax bill that gives $69 billion in tax breaks, mostly to the wealthiest Americans. Senator Mark Dayton, who voted against the bill (54-44) called the legislation an “abomination.” While giving middle-income households an average tax cut of just $20, the Tax Reconciliation Bill (H.R.4297) would give a $42,000 tax cut to households earning over $1 million per year. For the wealthiest 0.1 percent of the population, those earning over $1.6 million per year, the average tax cut would be $82,000. “This bill should be a billboard for the corruption of the public interest in Washington,” said Dayton. “It is a disgrace. It is an abomination. And it should be rejected by the Senate.” In closed-door House-Senate Conference negotiations, Dayton’s corporate jet amendment was stripped from the bill. His legislation, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent in November, would have closed a loophole that allows executives to pay only a fraction of the taxes on their personal travel aboard corporate jets. “When all other Americans take vacations, they pay for their air travel on commercial airlines with their after-tax incomes,” said Dayton on the Senate floor. “Yet, when some of this country’s wealthiest people, some corporate executives, take vacations on their company planes, they fly for free, and they pay almost no taxes on the actual value of that special employment benefit.” The House passed the bill earlier this week. The tax bill now heads to the President to sign it into law. A full transcript of Dayton’s floor speech is available upon request.

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