Trey Pollard trey.pollard@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Senate Republicans advanced a scheme to slash taxes for corporate polluters and billionaires, opening the door for drilling in the Arctic Refuge and massive cuts to life-saving programs across the federal government. The GOP tax scheme will reportedly force cuts to federal, state, and local investments in clean air and water protections, education, and transportation while hiking taxes for middle and working class Americans, and throwing millions off of their health care plans.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Today, Republicans in the Senate proved that they will sacrifice their principles, our pristine wild places, and the health of millions of American families just to give the richest people in this country a tax cut. Their rhetoric can’t change the fact that Senate Republicans will trade everything from the Arctic Refuge to programs that save lives in order to help their campaign donors and corporate allies rake in billions more into their bank accounts. The Senate Republicans who voted for this disgraceful tax scheme have made it obvious that they value billionaires and corporate polluters more than their constituents, and no one will forget that in the months and years to come.”
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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 life-saving programs 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.
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.