About a dozen members of the faith community say they won’t be moved when Sen. Susan Collins’ Portland office closes Thursday evening.
Rev. Jim Gertmenian has been part of the sit-in action since 11 a.m.
“We’ve been told that we cannot stay, and some of us have said we cannot leave, and so at 5 o’clock there will be something of an impasse, and we’re not exactly sure how that will play out, but that’s where we are right now,” he says.
The group is demanding that Collins vote no on the tax overhaul bill working its way through Washington. They say the bill will provide tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the poor.
Collins is responding in a statement that she “respects their right to protest” and she says under the bill, a single mom with one child earning $35,000 would receive $1,100 back from the government rather than owing income tax, and families earning less than $24,000 would owe no tax.
