November 17, 2017

Yesterday, on November 16, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1). Now, the Senate is finalizing their own version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The legislation was recently voted through the Senate Finance Committee, clearing the way for a vote on the Senate floor after Thanksgiving.

These tax bills are extremely dangerous to the well-being of people with disabilities.

• Tax cuts open the door for cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, and other services that benefit people with disabilities. While neither the House or Senate tax bill includes direct cuts to these services, cuts are expected to follow to offset the $1.5 trillion added to the deficit due to providing large tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Medicaid and other disability services were the target of intense cuts over the summer through the various Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bills proposed in the House and Senate. There is no doubt that these same services remain on the chopping block to help pay for the proposed tax cuts.
• The Senate bill eliminates the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate. The individual mandate helps make health insurance affordable. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that 13 million people would lose access to affordable coverage if the individual mandate were eliminated. Furthermore, insurance premiums would rise by 10%, which amounts to an increase of hundreds of dollars per year for nearly 7 million middle-income Americans and by over $1,000 per year for seniors, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

The Senate is scheduled to vote on its Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the week after Thanksgiving.

We must stop this very harmful and unpopular legislation NOW!

Take Action

Contact your Senators and tell them to oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act!

What to say:

• Please vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
• Tax reform should not be rushed. People should have time to understand the legislation and how they will be affected.
• Services that benefit people with disabilities and low-income Americans – such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Supplemental Security Income – are in danger of losing funding to help pay for these proposed tax cuts.
• Eliminating the individual mandate will reduce access and increase costs for people with disabilities and all Americans.

Call your Senators

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Senator.

• National Call-In Day: No Tax on Disability!
  November 29, 2017

Meet with your Senators

You can arrange a meeting in Washington, DC or in your home state, depending on when Congress is in session. The Senate is planning to vote on their version of the tax bill after Thanksgiving. This provides an opportunity to meet with your Senators while they are in your home state over the holiday. Contacting Congress allows you to request a meeting with your Member of Congress. You can also check the Town Hall Project for congressional events in your area.

• Civic Engagement Toolbox for Self-Advocates – Autistic Self Advocacy Network
• How to Set up a Meeting with your Member of Congress – Families USA

Email your Senators

Contacting Congress provides unique links to email your Senators directly.

Tweet your Senators

Twitter has become a powerful tool to communicate with elected officials directly. Find your Senators on Twitter and tell them to oppose these bills.

• Senate Twitter Handles
• The #TaxCutsAndJobsAct could force massive cuts that block grant #Medicaid and damage state programs for people with disabilities. No to #TCJA. #TaxOnDisability

Additional Resources

• Action Alert! Don’t Let Congress Trade Tax Cuts for Medicaid and Other Essential Services – AAPD
• Action Alert – Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
• Death and Taxes: Dangerous Tax Reform Bill Introduced – Take Action Now! – National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
• CCD Fiscal Policy Task Force Statement on House Tax Cut Bill – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)
• Joint Committee on Taxation Distribution Tables Confirm Skewed Priorities of House Tax Bill – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)
• Tax plan would hardly boost growth, add trillions to deficit: study – The Hill
• House Tax Bill Bad for Those Who are Aging and Disabled – Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)
• ASAN Opposes Tax Bill, Repeal of Individual Mandate – Autistic Self Advocacy Network
• Congress Tax Proposals Endanger Health Care for Older Adults – Justice in Aging