Rep. Deutch Statement on Vote Against GOP Tax Scam

Statement

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22) issued this statement after voting against H.R. 1, the Republican tax plan to give massive tax breaks to multi-national corporations and the top earners while scrapping crucial deductions that help millions of Floridians reduce their taxes:

"Plain and simple, this Republican tax scam is a massive giveaway to multi-billionaires and big corporations, paid for by tax increases for thirty-six million working class and low income Americans.

"Unfortunately, it is far removed from the reality of hundreds of millions of Americans. Why don't we ask the nearly one million Florida households if they are willing to pay more in their taxes so that large corporations can evade paying taxes on billions of off-shore dollars?

"Republicans drafted this bill behind closed doors, without any input from Democrats, showing how far they'll go to please special interest lobbyists rather than working on real bipartisan reform of our nation's tax code.

"Aren't Republicans worried about what shrinking the mortgage interest deduction will do for the millions of prospective home buyers in Florida?

"What does this bill say to the nine million Americans, including the over 630,000 Floridians, who save thousands of dollars with the medical expense deduction to cover exorbitantly high medical costs?

"Are Senate Republicans really proposing to kick 13 million Americans off their healthcare insurance just to give an additional $100,000 to the top 0.1% of earners?

"How will the over 600,000 student loan borrowers in Florida dig out from their debt when the Republicans cut the student loan interest deduction?

"What about the nearly 200,000 Florida teachers who will lose their on average $257 deduction to help pay for classroom supplies out of their own pockets?

"How about seniors, whose access to care will be threatened by this bill's $25 billion cut to Medicare?

"In short, this plan will give huge tax breaks to those who don't need it -- the wealthiest Americans and large, multinational corporations -- at the expense of those who desperately need it.

"If this bill passes, there is real harm coming to hardworking Americans fighting every day to keep food on the tables and a roof over their heads, and it will burden future generations by adding trillions to the national debt.

"We deserve a better deal - one that brings more jobs to America and higher wages to American workers. I opposed today's tax bill because it does the opposite."

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