I have been a lifelong Republican and proud of our economic and foreign policies — until this president.
After more than a year promising to overhaul the federal tax code, the tax plan currently being considered by Republican leadership is a broken promise.
As a party that campaigned on fiscal responsibility, how could Republicans in good conscience introduce a piece of legislation that increases our national deficit by more than $1.5 trillion and reduces the buying power of working families?
As a party that campaigned on creating new economic opportunity for small businesses, how could Republicans in good conscience support a bill that gives another leg up to big business?
As a party that campaigned on supporting middle-class Americans, how could Republicans in good conscience vote in favor of a plan that raises taxes on half of all American households?
Well, as a Republican, I can’t in good conscience support this bill — and I’m asking you to oppose it too.
In a matter of days, Congress is set to vote on a tax bill that Republican leadership claims will simplify the tax code and strengthen the economy. But the bill, as it is currently written, does far more to help millionaires and wealthy corporations already earning record profits than it does to help the middle class and Main Street businesses.
The bill, which is supposed to redefine an outdated tax system and support families struggling to make ends meet, actually raises taxes on 83 million middle-class households. As a business owner, I know this isn’t only bad for families, it’s also bad for business.
Despite Trump’s assurances on the campaign trail and after being elected, this tax plan shows a preference for serving the interests of wealthy donors and Wall Street executives. In speech after speech, Trump has said that the plan will benefit working people and not the wealthy and well-connected — but the facts show a very different story.
In addition, Republicans are using this tax bill as a means of repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — despite already failing multiple times to undermine the landmark law after the public’s loud outcry. Not only will a majority of households see their taxes go up, the plan passed by Senate Republicans would eliminate health insurance for 13 million people.
From eliminating key tax deductions middle-class families rely upon, like deductions for medical expenses and student loans, to incentivizing corporations to ship even more jobs overseas, to sneakily trying to repeal the ACA, this bill fundamentally threatens the financial security of millions of Americans and will make it harder for small businesses to thrive.
As constituents, we must ask some important questions of the elected officials proposing such substantive legislation. From what I’ve seen so far, it seems that the authors of this bill proposed this plan solely to benefit millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations.
Call your representative and demand they say not one penny of tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of working people. Tell them to vote “no” on this tax plan. Our nation’s economy depends on it.