John,

While we’re fighting tooth and nail to prevent Congress from making draconian cuts to human needs programs and to get them to expand the Child Tax Credit that cut child poverty nearly in half, extremists in Congress want to give billions of dollars in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy.

Several provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—more commonly known as the Trump tax cuts—are set to expire next year, but there is an entire faction in Congress who wants to make them permanent. If this were to happen it would add $5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.¹ This is the same national debt that right-wing Republicans cry crocodile tears over when demanding cuts and caps to critical programs.

We can’t allow extremists in Congress to continue to put the needs of their ultra-wealthy billionaire donors ahead of low-income people and families who are having trouble affording basic necessities due to corporate greed.

The House Ways and Means Committee has opened a comment portal asking for public input on extending key provisions of the 2017 Trump-GOP tax cuts. This is a critical moment that could shape our economy for years to come and they need to hear from everyday people like you today.

Take action now and submit your comment to the House Ways and Means Committee. Tell them we need a tax system that works for all Americans, not just the wealthy few.

One of the most egregious provisions set to expire is the cut to the top individual tax rate from 39.6% to 37%. This might seem small, but its impact is staggering. A wealthy household with an adjusted gross income of $2.5 million in 2021―the average for the top 1% of individual income earners―avoided paying up to $64,000 in taxes just from this reduction.²

Even more shocking, the top 400 taxpayers, who collectively reported an annual income of $107 billion, received an estimated $800 million tax cut in the first year of this law just from the reduction in the top rate.³ And that’s just a fraction of all the breaks going to the wealthiest.

$800 million could go towards funding essential programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It could go toward expanding Medicaid coverage for the poorest people now denied care in 10 states, provide funding for home heating and cooling programs, and fund child care centers across the country.

Instead of extending these tax breaks for millionaires, we need real tax reform that benefits everyone, not just the rich and corporations. Congress should focus on raising the corporate tax rate, closing loopholes that allow big companies to shift profits offshore, and expanding refundable tax credits like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit which would provide real help to families with low incomes.

By letting the temporary provisions benefiting households with over $400,000 in annual income expire as scheduled, and implementing these reforms, we could raise trillions in revenue. This money could fund vital public services, cut the deficit, and invest in programs that help working class people.

We need a tax system that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few. Submit your comment to the House Ways and Means Committee today.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

[1] CBO: Extending Trump Tax Cuts Will Cost Nearly $5 Trillion
[2] Individual Income Tax Shares, Tax Year 2021
[3] ProPublica Data (Top 400 Taxpayers)