The following is from an email update from Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer dated December 15, 2017:
This week, Republicans spent another week neglecting the priorities of the American people while holding secret, back-room negotiations over their bill that cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans and corporations while increasing taxes on millions of middle-class households. This bill adds $1.7 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years and will trigger a $25 billion cut in Medicare next year. It comes as no surprise that poll after poll shows the bill is deeply unpopular, and I will continue to call on Republicans to abandon this bill and work with Democrats to write bipartisan and revenue-neutral tax reform that benefits middle-class families.
Next week, House Republicans will bring legislation to the Floor that funds the Department of Defense for the full fiscal year while providing short-term funding for everything else. This legislation won’t pass the Senate, and Republicans are punting difficult issues that we should address now into next year. While Republicans focus all of their attention on their partisan tax bill, they are ignoring a long list of priorities that must be addressed before the end of the year, such as a bipartisan budget agreement, protecting DREAMers, reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and providing aid for our fellow Americans recovering from disasters. The American people expect Congress to do its job and we ought to complete our work on a bipartisan basis next week.
Finally, today is the last day to sign up for health coverage during the open enrollment period on HealthCare.Gov. You can review your coverage options and sign up to get covered until 3 a.m. EST. Please make sure your friends and family are aware of the deadline and have the opportunity to get covered for 2018.
Sincerely yours,
Steny H. Hoyer
P.S. Please invite your friends and family to sign up for this newsletter to learn about what House Democrats are doing to lead America in a new direction. You can also get the latest updates and join the conversation on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
DEMOCRATIC NEWS UPDATE
On the GOP Tax Scam
- FACT SHEET: Republicans Abandon Middle Class Americans’ Priorities in GOP Tax Scam to Give Tax Cuts to the Wealthy
- VIDEO: Hoyer Discusses Delaying Consideration of the GOP Tax Bill Until Senator-Elect Doug Jones Is Sworn Into Office on CNBC
- Hoyer, House Democrats to Ryan: Don’t Count on Us to Fix the PAYGO Problem You’ve Created with the GOP Tax Bill
- Hoyer Statement on Treasury Department’s Assessment of the GOP Tax Scam
- Hoyer Remarks at Ways and Means Democrats’ Forum on the GOP Tax Scam
On Responsibilities Facing the GOP Congress Before the End of the Year
On the End of Open Enrollment