House Natural Resources, SEEC, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats Lead Colleagues in Slamming GOP Tax Scam that Sells Out America’s Cost-Savings, Economy, & Natural Resources for Billionaire Tax Cuts
Washington, D.C. – Today, environmental champions in the House of Representatives held a press conference at the Capitol blasting House Republicans’ Tax Scam as a massive giveaway to billionaires and mega-polluters, funded entirely by selling out our health, economy, and children’s future. This corrupt Republican scheme is an attack on every American who values reducing costs, clean air and water, public health, and a thriving American economy.
These members included Rep. Jared Huffman, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee; Rep. Paul Tonko, House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Co-Chair and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment; Rep. Doris Matsui, SEEC Co-Chair and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology; Rep. Don Beyer, SEEC Vice Chair; Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, SEEC Vice Chair; Rep. Sean Casten, SEEC Vice Chair;Rep. Mike Levin, SEEC Vice Chair; Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Ranking Member of the House Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process; and Rep. Mike Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax.
"Let’s be clear about what’s happening: the billionaire-backed reconciliation bill is the single most extreme, anti-environment piece of legislation Congress has ever seen,” said Congressman Huffman. “And here’s the kicker: the same Republicans who claim to be fiscally responsible — the same ones who wring their hands about deficits when it’s time to fund food assistance or climate resilience — are about to add $3.8 trillion to the national debt according to CBO to bankroll billionaire tax cuts and fossil fuel handouts. The same folks who say they’re putting the conservative back in conservation are destroying national parks, public lands, and sacred Tribal sites just to please the oil lobby. The hypocrisy is staggering — and the American people see right through it.”
“This bill is a lose-lose. It’s bad for people’s wallets, and it’s bad for building a strong, competitive economy,” said Congressman Tonko. “It sells out current and future generations of Americans to fund tax cuts for billionaires and undermine fossil fuels’ biggest competition— clean energy. Americans will pay more down the road through higher energy bills, dirtier air, worsening climate disasters, and rising health care costs.”
“This bill is not reform. It’s legalized bribery,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “The Republicans are auctioning off our public lands to the highest bidder, prioritizing profit over our environment, and sacrificing the health and future of our communities. You’d think that would be enough, but no. In addition, they have chosen to wreck our economy and end billions of dollars in federal investments that were working to ensure that our infrastructure doesn’t collapse. To this I ask my Republican colleagues: is your endgame really permanent and irreversible damage for the sake of temporary tax cuts for the rich?”
"This bill is going to raise energy costs for every American household,” said Congressman Beyer. “It's a bad deal for America. It’s a bad deal for our climate. It’s a bad deal for economic growth. It’s a bad deal for our future government. And it’s a bad deal for all those people that voted for Donald Trump.”
“This massive big bad bill, advanced in the dead of night, is a blueprint to bulldoze many of the natural resources Oregonians treasure and rely on for their livelihoods,” said Congresswoman Bonamici. “Oregonians know what’s at stake - our coast, forests, and future. We will not back down from the fight for our planet and our people.”
“We had the fastest-growing economy in the world just a couple months ago. We had surges of manufacturing in America. We’ve now got people saying, if I build a factory in America am I going to be able to plug into a grid that’s going to have reliable supply? Can I build resources in America and know that the price of energy is going to come down,” said Congressman Casten. “This is a self-inflicted wound. We’re going to fight with every fiber of our being to make sure that we do the policy right, that we look out for the dignity of this institution the way that Gerry Connolly taught us to."
“My message to you today is simple: House Republicans want to raise your energy bills, cut jobs, and kill the planet to give bigger tax breaks to polluters and billionaires like Elon Musk. That’s not what House Republicans want you to believe, but it’s the truth,” said Congressman Levin. “Over the past year, Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been talking about how the cost of living is too high. But they’ve been all talk and no action. Instead of working to lower costs and pass policies that uplift Americans, they are pushing one of the most harmful, misguided, and backward bills I’ve ever seen."
“I’ve been here since one o’clock in the morning because House Republicans wanted to make sure that — in the dark of night — they could push through the rule. But Democrats have shown up and made sure that this bill sees the light of day, so that we can shine a light on what House Republicans are actually doing,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. “They are focused on making sure we keep the dirtiest energy dominant. When they say energy dominance, it’s not about energy, which includes the sun, and geothermal, and the wind, and those things that we know can power our homes cheaper, more affordable, while also creating the kinds of jobs communities like mine need and want.”
“It’s important to note that over half of the new clean jobs created by those provisions in the IRA are in red states and Republican districts,” said Congressman Thompson. “So House Republicans’ one big, ugly bill that we’ve been debating nearly around the clock, cuts all the clean energy production. It’ll raise electric costs by about $110 per year per household. And I did the math quickly. People making under $50,000 are going to get about $260 in tax cuts. If you subtract the energy cost increase, that just about cuts their tax cuts in half. So talk about giveth with one hand and taketh with the other.”
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