Dear Democracy Warriors:
The House and Senate have been busy the past few days, attempting to reconcile their respective versions of the GOP tax bill before Christmas.
We know you’re tired. We know it’s been an exhausting year. But you can bet that the Republicans will not rest for a single moment in their efforts to ram this giant Christmas gift to the rich through Congress. We must be just as strong in our resolve to fight it!
This legislation is much more than a tax bill. It would impact the environment, education, health care, and separation of church and state. It would increase economic inequality in the United States and limit the upward mobility of the poor and working class. As one economist put it, it is “carefully engineered to deliver a kiss to the donor class (New York Times, Nov. 29, 2017).”
Here are the top 10 reasons (in no particular order) why you should hate this bill:
- By 2027, people making $40-50,000 per year will pay $5.3 billion MORE, while those making $1 million or more will get a $5.8 billion break. This would be one of the largest transfers of wealth from the working class to the wealthy in our country’s history.
- The House version would remove the ban on political activity by churches.
- The Senate version would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling.
- Folks who can afford to pay tuition to private and religious schools would receive special tax perks, while public schools (which serve 90% of America’s children) would be hurt by the bill.
- The House version gives new legal rights to fetuses and enshrines the term “unborn child” in a piece of federal legislation for the first time in U.S. history.
- The bill would eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, resulting in 13 million Americans losing health coverage (according to CBO projections).
- Americans with health insurance will experience a 10% increase in premiums.
- The plan would repeal the deduction for interest paid on student loans and would end deductibility of tuition waivers for graduate students. It would also tax the investment earnings of university endowments, which are used to subsidize tuition for low-income students.
- The plan is projected to produce a $1.5 -2 trillion dollar deficit in just ten years, which will require our children and grandchildren to pay huge interest payments on the debut instead of investing in education, infrastructure, and health care.
- If the tax bill fails to produce promised economic growth, it will trigger automatic cuts to Medicare and other social safety net programs.
Because the bill is in conference committee right now, we do not know what the final version will look like. But you can bet it won’t be pretty! Please call every day, and ask friends and family to join you!
D.C.: 202- 225-6205
Springfield: 937-322-1120
Troy: 937-339-152Sen. Portman:
D.C.: 202-224-3353
Columbus: 614-469-6774
Cincinnati: 513-684-3265
While you were sleeping…
In the dead of night, Senate Republicans passed their awful tax bill by a 51-49 vote. The legislation is much more than a tax bill and will affect every single American. Some of the projected impacts include:
- Adds over 1.4 trillion (that’s TRILLION with a T, folks) to the deficit
- Will lead to huge cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security
- CBO has projected that 13 million Americans will lose health insurance because the Senate version nixes the ACA individual mandate
- Health insurance premiums will rise by at least 10%
This tax plan would be terrible for ordinary Americans. But the bill, which was rammed through before anyone even had a chance to read it, is chock full of goodies for wealthy donors and lobbyists.
So what happens next?
The bill now goes back to the House, which can adopt the Senate version as is, or they can vote to send it to conference committee. In conference, lawmakers from both chambers will attempt to iron out the differences between the House and Senate bills. The reconciled version would then go to the President for his signature.
Please keep calling!
This abysmal tax plan is not law yet! Please keep calling Sen. Portman and Rep. Davidson daily to urge them to vote NO on this deficit-financed tax cut for the very wealthiest. Please ask two or three friends to also make calls.
Need inspiration to stay angry, focused, and active? Keep reading…
The GOP war on the poor…
The working class and poor will actually pay MORE by 2027 under the GOP plan. It’s almost as if Republicans hate the poor. Oh, wait…
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said on the Senate floor that there is “no money anymore” for the Children’s Health Program (CHIP), which the GOP let expire two months ago. He continued: “I have a rough time spending billions and billions and trillions to help people who won’t help themselves, won’t lift a finger, and expect the federal government to do everything.”
GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) piled on, saying he supports repealing the estate tax (which only benefits the richest of the rich) because it’s better to give extra cash to the wealthy instead of those who “are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies.” Yes, he really said that.
While disturbing, these comments reveal the GOP’s true feelings about working Americans. This is why we must keep fighting!
When you call, phone, or visit in the days ahead, please keep focused on these talking points:
- This tax plan is a giveaway to corporations, which are already flush with cash. Corporate tax cuts are permanent, while cuts for individuals expire by 2025.
- The GOP plan is heavily tilted toward the rich. The top 1% will reap two-thirds of the benefits, while households making under $75,000 will be worse off by 2027.
- Huge deficits created by the tax cut for the wealthy will be used by the GOP as justification to make deep cuts to Medicare and Social Security in the years to come
- The economy is not in a recession and is almost at full employment. A deficit-funded tax cut for the wealthy is not justified.
- “Trickle down” economics has been tried repeatedly… the idea that tax cuts for the rich stimulate jobs, wage increases, and economic growth has been debunked by most economists.
Indivisible Springfield Ohio 