Passage of Senate Tax Bill Will Hurt Millions of Americans

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U.S. Capitol Building. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World today released the following statement regarding the Senate’s passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The statement can be attributed to Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World:

“The tax bill passed by the Senate will hurt millions of low-income and working families. The tax cuts passed in this bill, which largely benefit high-income individuals and large corporations, will almost certainly lead to deep cuts in Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs that help people experiencing hunger and living in poverty.

“The bill also repeals the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Without this mandate, 5 million of the most vulnerable Americans could lose their Medicaid coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“The direct impact on middle-income families will be mixed, with most of the benefits phasing out after a few years.  The bill’s proponents argue that it will create jobs, but a tax cut that goes disproportionately to high-income people is not the best way to improve the job market for low-income and working families.

“Our country has made substantial progress against hunger and poverty in recent decades.  But this tax legislation, in both its House and Senate versions, is a major threat to continued progress against hunger.”

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