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Quigley Statement on Passage of the Republican Tax Reform Bill

December 20, 2017

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released the following statement after the Republican tax plan passed both the House and Senate:

"Today, Republicans shamefully forced their partisan tax bill through Congress and on to the desk of President Trump. This is fantastic news if you are in the top 1 percent of earners who will receive 83 percent of the tax cuts, are a tax lawyer hired to exploit new loopholes, or are part of Trump's inner circle. But if you are a member of one of the 86 million middle-class families who will see their taxes go up in the next decade or one of the 13 million Americans that will lose healthcare coverage because of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, then today's vote will be remembered as nothing more than another giveaway to the wealthiest among us on the backs of families struggling to get by.

"Now that we're one step closer to adding $1.5 trillion in unpaid tax cuts to our growing deficits, Speaker Ryan has made clear his intention of slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and anti-poverty programs to address the debt crisis manufactured by this bill. While Congress has failed to uphold the President's promise that the wealthy ‘will not be gaining at all with this plan,' we must not allow him to break the pledge he made to protect Medicare and Medicaid.

"I've heard from my constituents, who overwhelmingly—almost unanimously—oppose this shameful bill, just like the majority of Americans across the country. I promise them that I will hold Republicans' feet to the fire and continue to urge them to abandon their anti-middle class agenda, go back to the drawing board, and work with Democrats to pass an economic plan that addressees our real economic challenges by fostering growth, creating jobs, and delivering new opportunities and resources for Americans to prosper."