In the News

“The tax plan before us today would be a disaster for Northern Virginia. The GOP plan caps the state and local income deduction. It caps the mortgage interest deduction.  And it phases out the medical cost deduction. Our district, where 50 percent of tax filers claim a SALT deduction, is one of the top congressional districts in the nation affected by this change, and 75 percent of our district’s SALT claimants are in the middle income tax brackets. 144,000 of my constituents claim the mortgage interest deduction, for an average savings of $2,946. These changes would be a devastating double whammy to Northern Virginia families.

“This bill falls far short of our values. It would raise taxes on tens of millions of middle class Americans in order to finance permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. By 2027, the Tax Policy Foundation projects more than half of households would face a tax increase. It explodes the deficit by nearly $1.5 trillion. And the conference report adds a devastating attack on the American healthcare system by repealing the individual mandate, leaving 13 million more Americans uninsured.

“Congress had a real opportunity to pursue bipartisan revenue neutral tax reform that would lower corporate rates and benefit the middle class. As a leader of the New Democrat Coalition, I have written on several occasions to Speaker Ryan and Chairman Brady asking them to partner with us on a tax reform plan that would simplify the tax code, create revenue for infrastructure, and provide middle class tax relief. Instead, the majority has ignored these repeated overtures and rushed through a partisan tax plan that asks working families, veterans, and low-income seniors to pay higher tax rates than the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations. That’s simply unconscionable.”