Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org or 202-670-5585
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Sierra Club has launched digital ad campaigns across Arizona and Tennessee in opposition to the Senate Republican leadership’s deeply unfair tax scheme. The ad calls on Arizonans and Tennesseans to let their Senators know that this tax bill is unacceptable.
"If Senators Flake, McCain and Corker want to prove they are forces for responsible leadership, they'll vote against this outrageous scheme that will gut programs that protect our public health just to cut taxes for billionaires.” said Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce. “This is a rigged bill that raises taxes on the middle class, throws the health insurance market into chaos, and exposes the pristine wilderness of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to the dangers of oil drilling. These Senators have the power to stop this dangerous scam, and they should."
AMONG THE WORST PROVISIONS OF THE BILL:
SETS UP CUTS TO CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS:
If this plan passes, people across the country will see the safeguards that protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, the places we play, and the communities where we live face dramatic and dangerous cuts.
That’s because this plan balloons the federal deficit by over $1.5 trillion by giving hangouts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Cutting taxes for the rich now means cuts to the federal budget and entitlements later.
Meanwhile, this plan absurdly raises taxes on the middle class to pay for cuts to corporations.
PLUNDERS THE ARCTIC REFUGE:
One of the ways Senate Republican leadership wants to fund tax cuts for the wealthy is by sneaking in an attack on the Arctic Refuge and opening it up to drilling
This is a thinly veiled giveaway to the fossil fuel industry, reducing one of our last great wild places, the Arctic Refuge, and the Gwich’in nation who rely on it for their livelihood, to nothing more than a line item.
UNDERMINES THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM:
Republican leadership has added a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate to the tax scam. Repealing the mandate would unravel the U.S. health insurance systems’ individual markets, causing millions of Americans to lose their insurance coverage and raising premiums for millions more.
With this latest move, Senate Republican leadership has essentially decided to set the car on fire before driving it off a cliff. This bill is a misanthrope’s dream and a nightmare for our country.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.