November 19, 2017
November 12, 2017
November 5, 2017
November 19, 2017
Stop the GOP tax scam runaway train
With unprecedented speed, Republican leadership is rushing to jam through a massive tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporations in the next few weeks. Despite 13 Republicans joining Democrats in opposition, the House passed its tax bill by a vote of 227-205. The Senate Finance Committee, on a party-line vote, approved its own tax bill, setting up a vote on the floor the week after Thanksgiving.
Both bills give huge tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations paid for by working families and students. Both bills raise taxes on some working families, according to Congress’s own nonpartisan tax analysts. Both bills eliminate the ability of taxpayers to deduct state and local taxes, which is projected to blow holes in state and local budgets and put education funding at risk of cuts as high as $370 billion over the next decade, costing hundreds of thousands of educator jobs. Incredibly, both bills allow corporations to continue claiming the state and local deduction even while taking it away from individuals and families.
The House bill also eliminates the popular educator tax deduction of $250 annually to help offset the costs nearly all educators incur to purchase school supplies for their students — but businesses can still claim a deduction for buying business supplies. It includes a voucher-like provision that allows wealthy families to sock away up to $10,000 a year in a tax-free account to pay for private school tuition — an idea championed by Betsy DeVos.
The upcoming fight is now in the Senate, where we need to raise our voices once more to stop a terrible bill from going forward. GOP leaders decided to also add a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (with no replacement) to their tax bill, which will cause 13 million Americans to lose health coverage and premiums to spike. The reason? To pay for tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations.
Don’t sit this out. Click the take action button and tell the Senate to VOTE NO on the tax bill.
Encourage Republicans to support the Dream Act
To build support for passing the Dream Act, NEA President Lily Eskelsen García joined Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Asian American/Pacific Islander youth and leaders from across the country for a press conference and rally on Nov. 15. Now more than ever, Congress must act quickly to pass the Dream Act of 2017, as it enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. The most inclusive solution for DACA recipients and Dreamers brought to the United States as minors, the Dream Act includes multiple pathways to citizenship via higher education, military service, or employment. Click on the take action button to contact your Republican representatives and urge them to support the Dream Act.
Cheers and Jeers
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for accurately describing the GOP’s tax bills as “plans [that] levy a ‘suburban tax’ on middle-class families.”
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) for her take on the Senate tax bill: “The people this is going to hit are middle-class people that ostensibly this whole bill was supposed to be about helping.”
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) for his response to Senate GOP leadership’s decision to combine tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations with crippling the Affordable Care Act: “Here we go again. If you care about quality, affordable health care — it’s time to call your Senator and Member of Congress.”
192 Democrats and 13 Republicans for voting NO on the House tax bill: Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Peter King (R-NY), Dan Donovan (R-NY), John Faso (R-NY), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
227 Republicans for voting YES on the House tax bill
November 12, 2017
Tell Congress to oppose GOP leadership’s tax bills
On November 9, in a party-line vote, the House Ways and Means Committee passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), a massive giveaway to corporations and the wealthy paid for by students and the middle class. Senate GOP leadership unveiled its own tax bill the same day.
“The Republican leadership’s tax plan is another example of misguided priorities in Washington,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “It would jeopardize the ability of state and local governments to fund public education. That will translate into cuts to public schools, lost jobs to educators, overcrowded classrooms that deprive students of one-on-one attention, and threaten public education.”
To help pay for slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans, the House bill eliminates most of the state and local tax deduction; the Senate bill totally eliminates it. An NEA analysis finds that over the next ten years, the House bill could blow a nearly $250 billion hole in state and local revenues — the equivalent of eliminating Title I and IDEA special education programs overnight. Nationwide, as many as 250,000 educators would be at risk of losing their jobs, according to NEA’s state-by-state analysis. The Senate version is worse: it puts $370 billion in education funding at risk, along with 370,000 education jobs.
Under the House bill, corporations can continue to deduct state and local taxes and get huge tax cuts, along with households with incomes of more than $1 million a year. Yet educators lose their modest $250 deduction for classroom supplies. The House bill also dramatically expands a loophole that allows the wealthy to set aside money for private school expenses, makes college more costly by eliminating the student loan deduction, and ends the successful school construction bonds program. Click on the take action button and tell your representative and senators to oppose GOP leadership’s tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporations.
Your advocacy is working! Continue to encourage Republicans to support the Dream Act
A group of 14 House Republicans held a press conference Nov. 9 calling for a permanent legislative solution to respond to the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by March 2018. Now more than ever, Congress must act quickly to pass the Dream Act of 2017, as it enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. The most inclusive solution for DACA recipients and Dreamers brought to the United States as minors, the Dream Act includes multiple pathways to citizenship via higher education, military service, or employment. Click on the take action button to contact your Republican representatives and urge them to support the Dream Act now!
Cheers and Jeers
Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Alma Adams (D-NC), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Anthony Brown (D-MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL) for participating in NEA’s first HBCU summit, “Amplifying Excellence through a Community of Innovation and Collaboration, ” held November 2-4
Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Fred Upton (R-MI), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Jeff Denham (R-CA), Joe Barton (R-TX), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Pete King (R-NY), Ryan Costello (R-PA), Scott Taylor (R-VA), Susan Brooks (R-IN), and John Faso (R-NY) for holding a press conference to support DACA recipients and Dreamers, and working for a permanent legislative fix for DACA before Congress heads home for the holidays
Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA) for perfectly summing up the double standard in GOP leadership’s House tax bill, which takes small deductions away from educators but preserves them for corporations. Watch this video and see for yourself!
Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Richard Neal (D-MA), John Larson (D-CT), Ron Kind (D-WI), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) for supporting an amendment to H.R. 1 that would have retained the educator tax deduction
Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) for his statement on GOP leadership’s tax bill: “New analysis from the NEA estimates that if Republicans succeed in eliminating much of the state and local tax deduction, as proposed in H.R. 1, it would likely have a devastating effect on state and local public education budgets…. In Virginia alone, the GOP’s proposed changes to SALT would mean a potential loss of 9,264 public education jobs.”
Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee for voting YES on H.R. 1
November 5, 2017
GOP tax plan takes from students and working families, gives to corporations and the rich — tell your representatives to oppose it
The $5 trillion tax plan released by House GOP leadership on Nov. 2 slashes taxes for corporations and wealthy Americans while putting middle class families at risk of higher taxes. The plan eliminates the $250 deduction educators can take for classroom supplies they buy with their own money and dramatically expands a loophole that allows the wealthy to set aside money for private school expenses. It also limits the deduction for state and local taxes, which will reduce school funding and lead to larger class sizes and job losses for educators.
“We’ve been down this yellow brick road before,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “Lawmakers pass massive tax cuts, then come back later demanding huge cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and education to ‘pay for’ the tax breaks for people and corporations who are not paying their fair share before getting new tax breaks.” Republican leaders want to rush their reckless tax plan through the House in the next two weeks! Click on the take action button and tell your members of Congress to oppose the GOP tax plan.
Urge Congress to renew CHIP with no strings attached
By a vote of 272-174, the House passed the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act (H.R. 3922), which extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for five years but also further undermines the Affordable Care Act (ACA). To pay for what should be a routine extension of a bipartisan program that provides essential health care for nearly nine million children and pregnant women, the bill slashes funding for the ACA Prevention Fund. The longer it takes to renew CHIP, the worse it is for kids and state budgets. Click on the take action button and tell your representatives to renew CHIP with no strings attached.
Encourage Republicans to support the Dream Act
As the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) approaches — the program ends in March — it is more important than ever to build support for the Dream Act, especially among Republicans. DACA recipients and Dreamers brought to the United States as children deserve the certainty and permanent protections this bipartisan legislation would provide, including multiple pathways to citizenship via higher education, military service, or employment. Click on the take action button to contact your representatives and urge them to support the Dream Act.
Cheers and Jeers
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for his description of the tax plan: “The Republican tax plan would put two thumbs down on a scale already tipped towards the wealthy and powerful.”
Senator Jeff Flake (R-NV) and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) for saying Congress needs to act on the Dream Act this year
Republican Representatives Dan Donovan (NY), Lee Zeldin (NY), Pete King (NY), Frank LoBiondo (NJ), and Leonard Lance (NJ) for opposing the tax plan released by GOP House leadership because it eliminates the deduction for state and local sales and income taxes
GOP leadership for introducing a massive, $5 trillion tax plan that gives wealthy Americans and corporations huge tax breaks while putting middle-class families at risk of higher taxes
President Trump and conservative GOP senators for vowing not to include DACA in the spending bill that must be enacted by December 8 to avoid a government shutdown
