Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress President and CEO Neera Tanden released the following statement today after Senate Republicans passed legislation that will give huge tax cuts to millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations while raising taxes on millions of working- and middle-class Americans and raising health care premiums:
Shame on them.
We will remember this vote. And we will do what we can to ensure every American does as well.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 involved months of public hearings and negotiations and was both bipartisan and revenue-neutral. In contrast, the final text for the legislation passed by the Senate today was rewritten at the last minute and presented to senators – to say nothing of the American public — mere hours before the final vote. In addition, Senate Republicans:
- Held no public hearings on the legislation.
- Failed to involve Senate Democrats in the writing or negotiation of the bill.
- Passed a bill that will explode the deficit by nearly $1.5 trillion.
- Passed a bill that will raise taxes on tens of millions of families.
- Passed a bill that will raise the number of uninsured Americans by 13 million and raise premiums for middle-class families that buy their own insurance by thousands of dollars.
- Passed a bill on a party-line vote.
Related resources:
- Millions of Working- and Middle-Class Americans Would See a Tax Increase Under the Senate GOP Tax Plan by Alex Rowell and Andrew Schwartz
- The Senate Tax Bill Threatens Access to Health Care by Sam Berger and Emily Gee
- The Senate Tax Bill Would Eliminate Programs for Farmers, Crime Victims, the Elderly, and Children by Alan Cohen and Sam Berger
- The Congressional Republican Tax Plan Is a Tax on Disability by Rebecca Vallas, Rebecca Cokley, and Eliza Schultz
- Ivanka Trump Should Stop Pretending the Tax Bill Will Help Women and Families by Shilpa Phadke
- 4 Ways Repealing the Estate Tax Would Expand the Racial Wealth Gap by Connor Maxwell and Danyelle Solomon
- 5 Ways the Senate GOP Tax Bill Will Undermine America’s Economic and National Security by Andy Green
- 5 Reasons Communities of Faith Should Be Alarmed by the Tax Bill by LaShawn Y. Warren
- Tax Bills Would Eliminate All Oil, Gas, and Coal Payments to Western States by Matt Lee-Ashley and Jenny Rowland
- Giving to the Rich by Ulrich Boser and Abel McDaniels
- Trickle Down Cuts to Education by Lisette Partelow, Meg Benner, Michael Dannenberg, and Charles Barone
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Allison Preiss at [email protected] or 202.478.6331.