On November 16th, the House voted and passed their “tax reform” bill. The Senate Republicans are expected to push their bill through in the coming week, likely putting it to a vote by the night of November 30th. Don’t fall for the #TrumpTaxScam!
Both the House and Senate versions of the bill would cut billions in funding for programs that benefit people who are working and middle-class, living in high-tax rate states, have pre-existing conditions, and who use safety net programs, like Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps). Republicans are pushing these cuts to fund tax breaks for corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
What’s at Stake
- Healthcare. As part of the Republican administration’s attempt to dismantle affordable healthcare coverage, the Senate tax bill eliminates the individual mandate of the ACA. The mandate requires that people have health insurance coverage or face a penalty. Without it, millions of people will drop out from the insurance market, destabilizing it and driving up the price of premiums for everyone else including people with pre-existing conditions. An estimated 13 million people would lose coverage by 2027 under this bill.
- Everything else we depend on! The House tax bill would cut $25 billion from Medicare in 2018, with an additional $5.8 trillion in cuts over the next ten years to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
What Do We Need to Do?
Contact your members of Congress, we want to make sure they know how damaging this tax bill is, that it will devastate our communities, and that we oppose it! Will you join us to show a strong force of opposition from our community to the #TrumpTaxScam?
- Organize a phone bank. Get everyone you know together to call the target Senators and tell them we oppose the Tax Bill! Here are some tips on organizing a phone bank: HIV Tax Bill Phone Bank Tipsheet. You can use this tool to easily take action
- Find a town hall with your Member of Congress
- Join planned actions across the nation with Indivisible
- RSVP for the National HIV Day of Action, Tuesday November 28th, everywhere
- Can you get to DC on November 28th? Sign up here to storm DC with the Center for Popular Democracy and Housing Works!
Key Targets:
The Senators who most need to hear from us are below. In addition to your own Members of Congress, this is who you should be calling; wherever you live!
- Lisa Murkowski (R – AK): (202) 224-6665, @lisamurkowski
- Susan Collins (R – ME): (202) 224-2523, @SenatorCollins
- Bob Corker (R – TN): (202) 224-3344, @SenBobCorker
- John McCain (R – AZ): (202) 224-2235, @SenJohnMcCain
- Jeff Flake (R – AZ): (202) 224-4521, @JeffFlake
Organizing Resources and Tools:
- Check out this great action toolkit, including press tips, event signs, and social media tools: http://stoptrumptaxcuts.org/
- For resources on planning a visit with your Member of Congress about the #TrumpTaxScam, click here
- Want to visit your Republican Senator at home? We might know where they live! Email us: info@pwn-usa.org.
How will the Tax Bill affect our communities?
- The tax bill hurts middle and low income communities, while benefiting the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
- The Senate version of the tax bill repeals the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. This is not in the House version of the tax bill.
- The House tax bill will lead to massive cuts in federal spending, including a projected $28 billion cut to Medicare in fiscal year 2018. Over the next 10 years, it includes $1.3 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, on which 44% of people living with HIV rely.
- Women and families across the country would be penalized by the elimination of critical tax benefits that support millions of people and their families (information provided from National Women’s Law Center and the National Partnership for Women and Families)
- The House tax bill would eliminate the deduction for medical expenses, jeopardizing the financial security of people who have serious medical conditions and their families, as well as seniors in need of long-term care
- The House tax bill actually cuts existing tax benefits for child care. The bill would eliminate child care tax benefits for families, including the exclusion of Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs) from income, beginning in 2023. Additionally, the tax bill eliminates the tax credit for employers that offer child care benefits to their employees, effective immediately.
- The Senate tax bill would completely eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes. Eliminating this tax benefit would not only raise taxes for millions of women and families, but it would also make it more difficult for states and localities to sustain the tax rates necessary to fund essential public services and maintain the jobs of public sector employees, the majority of whom are women and a substantial share of whom are people of color.
- Both tax bills add a new requirement of providing a Social Security Number for each child claimed for the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC)—which could exclude a significant number of children in immigrant families while immediately making families with six-figure incomes eligible to claim the CTC.
Tax Background Bill and Analysis:
- “Don’t Rob Medicaid & the ACA to Pay for Tax Cuts,” blog from NHeLP managing attorney Mara Youdelman.
- Resources and talking points regarding how the GOP tax plans would negatively impact people with disabilities, from the Center for Public Representation.
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ (CBPP) “Senate Tax Bill Would Add 13 Million to Uninsured to Pay for Tax Cuts of Nearly $100,000 Per Year for the Top 0.1 Percent,” and “Senate Budget Plan Threatens Health Programs.”
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ (CBPP), Senate GOP Tax Plan Raises Taxes on Middle and Lower Income, Adds Millions to Uninsured, to Pay for Corporate Tax Cuts
- The National Immigration Law Center on how the Republicans’ tax plan end tax credits for immigrant families and their children.
- CBPP’s social media graphics on the Republicans’ tax plans, and use hashtags on Twitter, such as #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff.
- Families USA on why The Affordable Care Act’s Individual Mandate Helps Make Health Insurance Affordable and Available
- National LGBTQ Task Force and National Center for Lesbian Rights, Congressional Tax Plans: What Do They Mean for LGBTQ People?
Social Media
Tweet at the target Senators!
.@lisamurkowski House bill will lead to massive cuts in federal spending. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@lisamurkowski House bill will lead to $25B in cuts to #Medicare in #FY2018. This will kill ppl w #HIV. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@lisamurkowski House tax bill proposes possible $5.8T in budget cuts over next 10 years incl $1.3T in cuts to #Medicaid on which 44% of ppl w #HIV depend. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@lisamurkowski House tax bill proposes $473B in cuts to #Medicare. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenatorCollins House bill will lead to massive cuts in federal spending. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenatorCollins House bill will lead to $25B in cuts to #Medicare in #FY2018. This will kill ppl w #HIV. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenatorCollins House tax bill proposes possible $5.8T in budget cuts over next 10 years incl $1.3T in cuts to #Medicaid on which 44% of ppl w #HIV depend. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenatorCollins House tax bill proposes $473B in cuts to #Medicare. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenBobCorker House bill will lead to massive cuts in federal spending. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenBobCorker House bill will lead to $25B in cuts to #Medicare in #FY2018. This will kill ppl w #HIV. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenBobCorker House tax bill proposes possible $5.8T in budget cuts over next 10 years incl $1.3T in cuts to #Medicaid on which 44% of ppl w #HIV depend. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenBobCorker House tax bill proposes $473B in cuts to #Medicare. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@JeffFlaker House bill will lead to massive cuts in federal spending. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@JeffFlake House bill will lead to $25B in cuts to #Medicare in #FY2018. This will kill ppl w #HIV. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@JeffFlake House tax bill proposes possible $5.8T in budget cuts over next 10 years incl $1.3T in cuts to #Medicaid on which 44% of ppl w #HIV depend. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@JeffFlake House tax bill proposes $473B in cuts to #Medicare. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenJohnMcCain House bill will lead to massive cuts in federal spending. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenJohnMcCain House bill will lead to $25B in cuts to #Medicare in #FY2018. This will kill ppl w #HIV. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenJohnMcCain House tax bill proposes possible $5.8T in budget cuts over next 10 years incl $1.3T in cuts to #Medicaid on which 44% of ppl w #HIV depend. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
.@SenJohnMcCain House tax bill proposes $473B in cuts to #Medicare. #NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
#NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff Take Action! Demand no cuts to #Medicare. #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
#NotOnePenny, #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #HandsOff The tax bill would repeal the individual mandate and increase pressure to gut safety net programs like Ryan White #Medicare and #Medicaid in future budgets. #HIVResists http://p2a.co/skSs2Ts
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