Pence says Biden's economic plan would raise taxes 'more than double' what Clinton called for in 2016

Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that Joe Biden’s tax plan would raise taxes on individuals and businesses to “more than double” what Hillary Clinton called for in 2016 and would reduce after-tax incomes “at all income levels including the middle class.”

Pence, on a Tax Day call with reporters hosted by President Trump’s campaign, said he was “astonished” to see Biden release a plan that he says would raise taxes by $4 trillion in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Frankly, their policy agenda looks more and more like Bernie won,” Pence said of the Democratic presidential nominee, making reference to the Biden-Sanders Unity Plan, which is an initiative unveiled to bring together the far left of the party, supporters of Sanders, and supporters of Biden’s more centrist candidacy.

The plan calls for a $15 minimum wage, a commission to study reparations, 12 weeks paid family and medical leave and other costly investments.  On taxes, it calls for higher taxes on wealthier Americans but does not go into specifics.

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Pence said that Biden, if elected, would “resurrect” the Green New Deal, “Joe Biden knows hardworking men and women of places like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wsiconsin will ask why his radical climate change agenda is more important than their jobs,” the vice president said.

“Not long ago Bernie said Biden could be the “most progressive pres since FDR,” said Pence.

He noted that the White House estimates Biden’s economic proposals would shrink the U.S. economy by 1.5 percent.

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“As a son of the Midwest, I know Joe Biden’s policies would devastate the economy of Midwest America,” the vice president said. “It’s not the Rust Belt anymore, we knocked the rust off the Rust Belt. With Joe Biden in the White House, you would devastate economic comeback in the heartland.”

Last week in the first of four economic proposals Biden expects to roll out in the coming weeks, he proposed spending $700 billion on American products and research in the hopes of bringing back millions of jobs lost during the pandemic.

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On Tuesday, Biden released a $2 trillion plan for boosting clean energy and job growth. It envisions 100 percent clean electricity for a "carbon pollution-free power sector" by 2035 as well as investments in American infrastructure and the auto industry to create jobs.