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Neal Statement on Ryan-McConnell Tax Reform Framework

September 27, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC – Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) today released the following statement after Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell unveiled their tax reform framework:

"It's clear from this plan that when it comes to tax reform, Republicans will always put the wealthy first. After more than a year of work, Republicans have only managed to produce a nine-page document without any of the significant details the American people deserve to know. In our meeting yesterday at the White House with Ways and Means Committee members, President Trump promised that under his tax plan, ‘the rich will not benefit.' It's clear that only a day later, Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell have already broken that promise. Why should the American people believe anything House and Senate Republicans say about their tax plan when they don't even come close to meeting any of President Trump's stated goals about tax reform? This tax plan would give big tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, helping the rich get richer while leaving behind working families and middle-class Americans. Not only that, their plan would also explode our nation's deficit by believing that tax cuts pay for themselves – something that respected economists on both sides of the aisle know is simply not true or borne out by any facts.

"This has been a partisan process from the start with virtually no Democratic input, as Republicans have put politics above policy and the economic security of hardworking Americans. I have long said that real tax reform needs to be done in a bipartisan manner because as we learned from 1986, that's the only way we'll be successful. Today, Republicans instead chose to continue down their own path without even knowing where it will lead.

"Democrats are united in our effort to stand up for the middle class rather than those at the top, and we will fight every day to make sure hardworking middle-class families get the tax relief they need. We are determined to make smart investments in job creation programs and community colleges, make child care and education more affordable, and strengthen retirement security for all Americans."

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Issues:Tax Reform