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“Republicans continue to advance the same failed ideas from the past—cutting taxes for the wealthy while cutting key benefits for working Americans and seniors,” said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee. “In order to pay for a disastrous tax plan, Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have decided to endanger the health and financial security of 130 million Americans. Democrats stand ready to build on these successful programs while tackling the issues Americans care about, such as stagnant wages, skyrocketing health care premiums, and the rising cost of prescription drugs.”
Real wages, for example, have fallen 2.2 percent in Pennsylvania in the months since Trump took office, the Democrats found, citing research by the Joint Economic Committee, while more than 1 million state taxpayers will receive no benefit — or face a tax increase — over the first two years of the Republicans’ tax overhaul.
“The economy has been adding jobs since the economic expansion that began in 2010, but it’s clear we still need to address the real economic challenges working Americans face in their day-to-day lives. But instead, my Republican colleagues and the Trump administration have decided their priorities lie in heaping windfall gains on the wealthiest Americans and special interests under the guise of supposed tax cuts for the middle class."

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on American living standards. In his remarks, Senator Heinrich highlighted that the Republican tax law is doing little to improve working Americans’ wages or living standards. Senator Heinrich also highlighted the Measuring Real Income Growth Act (S.3440) he introduced which would provide better insight into how broadly economic progress is shared and whether living standards are improving.
DeLauro requested a report on the effects of the Republican Tax Plan from the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee in Congress. The six-page report focuses on changes made in tax policy that the Democrats claim would encourage companies to move factories and jobs overseas, where corporate profits are taxed at lower rates. The report claims about 199,200 Connecticut residents — including 75,200 in manufacturing jobs — are at risk of seeing their jobs moved overseas due to the tax changes, based on Department of Labor data on industries that have a track record of moving production to foreign countries. Another 22,700 jobs at risk are in the insurance industry, which has moved operations overseas 66 times in the last five years.
The Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee are out with a report today arguing that federal support for rebuilding the Puerto Rican electric grid is crucial to getting the island’s economy humming again. Failing to ensure reliable electricity will further harm the ability to attract businesses to Puerto Rico and could fuel ongoing population emigration. Given the high cost of fossil fuels on the island, accelerating the transition to renewable energies could also help promote economic growth, the report adds. “We must focus on supporting local efforts to rebuild the power grid and other important infrastructure so it is resilient against future disasters and helps jump-start economic recovery on the island,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, ranking member on the committee, said in a statement.
“Instead of slashing budgets and cutting benefits that support children and their families—as Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have attempted to do to pay for their massive tax giveaway for the wealthy and corporate interests—we need to invest in the future of our economy and support our children,” said U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee.
“Our workforce continues to gain jobs, but many working families, particularly in rural areas, are still struggling to get by. Wages have been stagnant for years, yet corporations have amassed record growth and profits. Nearly 40 percent of American families struggle to meet a basic need, like food, housing, health care, and utilities. It is clear that too many Americans are being left behind in our economy."
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on the impact of the Republican tax plan on the economy. In his remarks, Senator Heinrich highlighted that the Republican tax cuts are mostly benefiting the wealthy and doing little for working Americans.
Our nation’s small businesses support the upward mobility and wealth building that are cornerstones of the American dream, while training future leaders and spreading American ingenuity all over the globe. New Mexican innovators are gritty, determined and doing everything they can to be competitive. We should put our full weight behind them, building on their successes, and continue to show that New Mexico small businesses refuse to be left behind.