By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Wednesday, March 29, 2017, US Representative Terri Sewell (R-Selma) commented on announced plans to implement tax reform as the next priority of the Congress.
Congresswoman Sewell wrote to constituents, “Congressional leaders and the President have announced their next big focus after healthcare: tax reform. It’s an issue too important to get wrong, and one which will impact the bottom line for working families and small businesses across the country. That’s why I am asking for your input.”
Rep. Sewell asked, “Do you want reforms that cut taxes for working families or close offshore loopholes? Let me know what your top priorities are when it comes to tax reform.”
Rep. Sewell said, “I believe it’s time for Congress to make our tax system fairer and more efficient for working families and small businesses. As American companies face increasing competition abroad, we need a tax code that ensures our entrepreneurs and manufacturers have a chance to compete in the global marketplace.”
Rep. Sewell continued, “Tax reform shouldn’t be a political issue, and these are goals that both parties can agree on. But instead of designing a tax code that empowers American workers and businesses, the blueprint that Republicans have put forward provides massive tax cuts for wealthy individuals and runs up the deficit.”
Alabama’s only congressional Democrat warned, “The GOP blueprint for tax changes would increase the deficit by $3 trillion in its first decade, and three-quarters of the tax cuts it proposes benefit the top one percent of taxpayers. At a time when working families need help in order to compete in today’s economy, those changes put our economic security at risk.”
Sewell added, “When Congress debated healthcare earlier this month, constituents from Birmingham to Montgomery called into my office to share their stories on how the Affordable Care Act impacted them. With tax proposals coming up for debate in the House of Representatives, I need to know where my constituents stand. Take a moment to tell me what your top priorities are for tax reform. Thank you to everyone who has sent me their thoughts and feedback. If you want to stay up-to-date on events I’m holding in your area, be sure to sign up for my e-newsletter. You can also share a message on a different topic through my website.”
On Thursday, March 30, 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced that President Donald J. Trump met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about tax reform, as the White House enters its “first stages” of tackling the issue. Pres. Trump has said he wants to shift his focus to tax reform after efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare failed when House Republicans could not come to agreement on a plan. The president’s goal is cutting taxes for businesses and middle-class families. Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and others in the White House “have been meeting with and hearing from stakeholders on all sides of the tax-reform debate,” Spicer said.
After giving the House Republican Caucus the freedom to handle healthcare reform without much White House input, the Trump Administration appears to be taking the lead on reforming the tax code. It is uncertain if this strategy will work better than deferring the planning to House Republicans did with repealing and replacing Obamacare.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District.
(Original reporting by The Hill contributed to this report)
