“The tax plan Senate Republicans released yesterday is every bit as harmful to women, working families, people struggling to make ends meet and our country as the Republican plan that is moving through the House of Representatives. If it is implemented, the Senate GOP tax plan would undermine the health and economic security of our country’s working families. It would be a windfall for the wealthy that punishes the poor.
The Senate Republicans’ tax plan would shift resources to the richest people and corporations while adding a staggering $1.5 trillion, or more, to the federal deficit. In doing so, it would starve the government of the resources it needs to support essential, life-saving programs that improve health; provide food, nutrition, housing and energy assistance; educate the next generation; and much more. It would destabilize the federal budget so dramatically that funding for programs our most vulnerable families rely on – core programs like Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid – could soon be in peril.
Like the House, the Senate GOP is using the tax bill for another attack on abortion access. Its bill includes anti-abortion ‘fetal personhood’ language that could potentially have far-reaching consequences for women’s health. The relentless attacks on women’s health are truly despicable, and reflect distorted priorities that undermine women’s health and economic security.
The paltry Child Tax Credit increase in the Senate’s tax plan, which like in the House bill is too small and is non-refundable, utterly fails to reflect the real financial challenges facing working parents – especially those in families that are paid low wages and work long hours. And neither the Senate nor the House proposal do anything to expand children’s access to quality, affordable child care. Working families need real relief, not empty promises.
The decision to end the state and local income and property tax deductions would cause real harm to families all across the country, taking away resources needed for local services like public schools, emergency services, roads, libraries and more. This would disadvantage working families terribly – all to enrich and boost corporations.
The priorities of the Republican leaders in Congress who wrote the House and Senate tax reform plans are not America’s priorities. If they become law, these plans would change our country forever. That must not happen.”
