Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused Donald Trump and congressional Republicans of handing Amazon a nearly $8 billion tax break in a recent video posted on X. She contrasted the benefit with the estimated $250 million production cost of the film ‘The Odyssey’ and with Amazon’s layoffs of more than 30,000 workers.
Warren opened by calling The Odyssey “probably going to be the most expensive movie this year,” estimating the cost at around $250 million. “Now, that’s a lot of money, but get this,” she said.
She claimed Trump and Republicans in Congress gave Amazon a tax break “worth more than 30 times the amount that it costs to make The Odyssey.”
“That tax break is in just one year,” Warren added.
She then said Trump gave “his buddy Jeff Bezos’ company a nearly $8 billion tax discount,” stating that Amazon paid about $8 billion less in taxes compared with the prior year despite making more money.
“And before someone shouts that Amazon is going to give all that money back to workers, the company laid off more than 30,000 workers,” Warren said.
“There is no excuse for this. It is time to tax billionaires and their billionaire corporations.”
Critics Turn Massachusetts Sen. Warren’s Amazon Attack Back on Congress
The video drew sharp responses focused on Warren’s role in Congress, the nature of tax law, and Amazon’s workforce decisions.
Several users pointed to Congress’s responsibility for the tax code. One asked, “Don’t you write the tax laws?” Another wrote, “You voted for many of those tax breaks to benefit your constituents. So why rail against them?” A third stated, “Congress passes a tax break. A company accepts it. Who is to blame? (hint: not the company.)”
Critics also rejected the comparison itself. “Comparing a movie budget to tax policy is apples to oranges. Debate the merits of investment incentives, not emotional talking points,” one commenter wrote.
Others agreed with Warren’s broader concerns about layoffs and corporate benefits. One said, “Even if this was explained to me, I’ll never understand why companies do this. Fire the hourly, reward the salaried.” Another wrote, “Those tax breaks should not be given to big corporate giants, and CEO wages are crazy overloaded!”
Warren’s post did not specify how she wanted Congress to alter Amazon’s tax treatment under existing law.
