December 14, 2017 The Call – #TrumpTaxScam #GOPtaxscam Republicans have agreed on a “reconciled” tax bill retaining many of the highly unpopular provisions of the versions passed earlier by the House and Senate. The full text of the tax bill, which would take effect on January 1st, still isn’t public as it was drafted by Republicans in secret, and is likely to include many unpleasant surprises. The final bill contains massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy while raising taxes for many middle class taxpayers. It also seriously undermines the ACA by eliminating the individual mandate. While Republicans don’t want to wait for a CBO score on the bill, it is expected to generate huge deficits that will result in dramatic spending cuts, which House Majority Leader Paul Ryan is already “promising” to offset with cuts to crucial programs like Medicare and Medicaid. No public hearings were held on the bill until after the deal was made, and then, only one procedurally required committee meeting, which was held Tuesday. The hearing was total sham, with the Democrats not even allowed to see the bill or have any questions answered. There is no legitimate reason to rush the tax bill through and Senate Democrats are calling on Republicans not to hold a final vote until Doug Jones is sworn into the Senate, as Republicans demanded on the ACA when Republican Scott Brown replaced Ted Kennedy in a special election. GOP leadership is determined to pass a tax bill to satisfy donors, but given the absurdity of the secret process, conflicting interests among GOP legislators and the adverse impacts on their constituents, it is still possible we can defeat this terrible bill with sustained pressure. Your Action Call your 3 members of Congress and tell them to oppose rushing the massively unpopular tax bill until it receives a full hearing, a CBO score and until Doug Jones joins the Senate. Talking Points
This is [NAME] and I’m a constituent in [ZIP].
I urge [Sen/Rep____] not to enact a major tax bill until there are full public hearings, a CBO score and Doug Jones takes his seat in the Senate.
I am concerned that the tax bill arrived at in secret gives massive cuts to corporations and the wealthy and doesn’t benefit many in the middle class.
The tax bill also risks the lives of Americans by repealing the ACA individual mandate, raising premiums for everyone and causing millions to lose insurance.
The huge deficits created by the bill risk the lives and health of Americans by leading to cuts in crucial programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.