John,

The economic repercussions of the pandemic are rippling through our entire economy with nearly 43 million Americans unemployed and plummeting tax revenue that threatens critical state and local services, including healthcare, public education, housing and sanitation. This is happening when demand is skyrocketing to assist those in need and uprisings in cities show that remedies to racial and economic injustice are urgent.

At the same time, a massive tax handout carved into the first pandemic relief plan known as the CARES Act by Senate Republicans is handing an average $1.6 million tax cut to 43,000 millionaires this year alone.

With the COVID-19 death toll surpassing 105,000 people and new spikes in COVID cases across the country, we need a pandemic response that puts our communities’ and the public’s health first.

Write to your U.S. Senators and demand immediate action to direct aid where the need is greatest and close tax loopholes for the wealthy that only serve to exacerbate economic and wealth inequality at a time of both justifiable civil unrest and a pandemic that is ravaging our communities.

The $3 trillion HEROES Act, recently passed by the House, puts about $900 billion toward state and local public services and another $117 billion toward state funding of Medicaid―just as millions of unemployed Americans are losing their healthcare.[1]

The HEROES Act also generates $250 billion in revenue by closing the #MillionairesGiveaway and other tax loopholes for the rich and corporations.[2]

But what is Donald Trump and Senate Republicans’ response? They want even more giveaways to the rich and corporations that do nothing to help the tens of millions of unemployed.

They want a payroll tax cut that would undermine Social Security and Medicare and would do nothing to assist the millions of U.S. households hardest hit by the pandemic.[3]

They want a capital gains tax cut that would hand 75% of the benefits to the richest 1%.[4]

And that’s not all! Their list of demands is a Wall Street wish list of tax breaks and carve outs reminiscent of the Trump-GOP Tax Scam. In a pandemic relief and recovery bill?! These people have no shame!

Write to your U.S. Senators right now and demand they act immediately on a COVID-19 relief and recovery plan that provides aid to state and community services, repeals the #MillionairesGiveaway and rejects any new tax breaks for the rich and corporations.

ATF research shows that the nation’s 630 billionaires saw their wealth grow by a breathtaking $434 billion in the first two months of the pandemic, while at the same time tens of millions of Americans were suffering. We cannot allow Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans to continue to pad the pockets of the rich while our towns and cities are struggling to provide basic services to the rest of us.

Thank you for taking action today to demand a pandemic response that puts the American people first!

Frank Clemente
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

[1] “State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds,” U.S. House Appropriations Committee; “Pelosi Bill Includes Much-Needed Medicaid Funding for States,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 18, 2020

[2] “‘HEROES’ Act Raises $250 Billion by Repealing Huge Tax Cut for the Rich,” Americans for Tax Fairness, May 15, 2020

[3] “President Trump Says Next Stimulus Package Must Have Payroll Tax Cut,” Forbes, May 4, 2020

[4] “Trump Eyes New Tax Cuts for Next Stimulus Package,” The New York Times, May 7, 2020; “Capital Gains Cuts Won’t Cure the Covid-19 Economy,” Tax Policy Center, May 11, 2020