Democratic lawmakers are blasting Republicans for considering cuts to some federal programs in order to finance President Donald Trump’s campaign promises, such as renewing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and eliminating taxes on tips.
Dubbing the list of plans a “contract against America,” House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of lying about opposing cuts to Medicare and raising taxes on American families.
“We are willing to work with our Republican colleagues to address the cost-of-living crisis that we have in the United States,” Jeffries said Thursday. “What we are not willing to do is to enable extreme MAGA Republicans to have a blank check so they can enact massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations and make working class Americans pay for it.”
The 50-page document, first leaked by Politico, lists hundreds of potential program cuts to increase revenue and save billions of dollars, plus proposes other projects to spend the extra money on.
Among other things, Republicans are considering:
Eliminating Head of Household tax filing status, which provides a larger standard deduction for unmarried individuals with childrenRepealing certain Obamacare and Affordable Care Act subsidies, reforming Medicare, and establishing work requirements for MedicaidBanning telehealth fees and increasing seniors’ access to telehealth servicesRepealing the green energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act and increasing electric vehicle feesMaking educational scholarships and fellowship earnings taxable incomeEliminating deduction of interest on student loans Either eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction or lowering the deduction cap to $500k
“Republicans and Trump would increase child poverty – hurting millions of children and families – just to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy and billionaires,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., posted on X Thursday.
As The Center Square previously reported, a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report shows that the federal government still does not have a full inventory of all the government programs it offers, despite spending trillions on them per year.
