U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the following video statement after voting against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s tax bill today. Donnelly has been willing all along to work toward tax reform that will benefit middle class families. Donnelly had meetings at the White House with President Trump, flew on Air Force One when the president came to Indianapolis, attended Vice President Pence’s address in Anderson, and met with numerous members of the Administration.
Donnelly, in his video statement, said, “From the beginning I’ve been willing to partner with Republicans, with Democrats, with the president, with this Administration. I agreed with President Trump’s stated goals of supporting the middle class and keeping jobs here in America…Here’s the bottom line: I opposed Mitch McConnell’s bill because it is not tax reform, it’s a partisan tax hike on Indiana’s middle class, it does nothing to prevent outsourcing of US jobs to foreign countries, and it’s a giveaway to Wall Street and other big money interests.”
Transcript of Donnelly’s video statement:
Hello. I’m U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly. I wanted to briefly speak to you about why I voted against Senator Mitch McConnell’s tax hike bill.
I believe we need to reform our tax code and cut taxes for the middle class. From the beginning I’ve been willing to partner with Republicans, with Democrats, with the president, with this Administration. I agreed with President Trump’s stated goals of supporting the middle class and keeping jobs here in America. I strongly believe tax reform can be done in a way that’s good for working Hoosier families.
Unfortunately, this tax hike bill from Senator McConnell does not reflect the priorities the president and I discussed on numerous occasions, including when I traveled with him on Air Force One to Indiana recently—and that is why I couldn’t support this bill. It results in a tax hike for nearly a million middle class Hoosier families in the coming years and it fails to address the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries. In addition, this bill takes away health care and raises costs for millions of families.
Here’s the bottom line: I opposed Mitch McConnell’s bill because it is not tax reform, it’s a partisan tax hike on Indiana’s middle class, it does nothing to prevent outsourcing of US jobs to foreign countries, and it’s a giveaway to Wall Street and other big money interests.
Independent, non-partisan analyses suggest this bill would raise taxes on a majority of families making less than $75,000, while at the same time giving a tax cut to the wealthiest and the top one percent. This bill does not close tax loopholes like one that allows Wall Street hedge fund managers to pay a lower tax rate than a Hoosier firefighter, than a Hoosier teacher, or a Hoosier steelworker – that’s just not right and it’s just not fair.
I had high hopes that tax reform would include policies aimed at encouraging companies to invest in American jobs and penalize companies that ship jobs to other countries. This bill has neither the carrot to encourage investment in American workers, nor the stick required to address the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries.
I’m disappointed because this represents a real missed opportunity. I believe our country is stronger when we work together and pass legislation that focuses on the middle class. That didn’t happen here but I will continue to fight for Hoosiers to help our middle class get ahead.
