Blue Dog Leadership Statement on the Senate Passage of the GOP Tax Bill
Today, the co-chairs of the fiscally-responsible, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition—Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)—released the following statement in response to the Senate passing its version of the Republican tax bill:
"We are disappointed that our Republican colleagues continue to shut Democrats out of the process and produce partisan legislation for major reform. We hoped the Senate would produce legislation that could influence the House tax bill in a positive way, but a rushed process and a lack of thorough policy evaluation is not conducive to that goal.
"For a Republican bill, there doesn't seem to be anything conservative about the Senate tax bill—particularly because it raises taxes on hardworking, middle-class Americans and adds more than $1 trillion to the debt.
"The national debt has reached an unprecedented amount, and it continues to grow at an alarming rate. The nation needs fiscal conservatives to step up to the plate, and that's why we offered the Blue Dog Vision for Tax Reform earlier this year. We want to get to "Yes" on a bipartisan, revenue-neutral tax reform bill that prioritizes middle-class Americans—and we provided a roadmap for that reason. But the Senate bill doesn't adhere to any of those principles.
"The last time Congress passed major, successful tax reform legislation, it took over two years of comprehensive policy evaluation and bipartisan compromise. They knew at the time that in order to reform the tax system, you have to slow down, get the policy right, ensure it doesn't add to the debt, and work in a bipartisan way.
"We need sound policy making in Washington, and Americans deserve a more transparent, bipartisan process and a better result. That's why the Blue Dogs remain committed to pursuing bipartisan solutions in Congress. Our ultimate hope is that our Republican colleagues change their course and include us in a real way to produce bipartisan tax reform. The door is still open to get it done the right way."
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