ACTION ALERT regarding the tax reform bill in Congress, which includes real threats to housing, health care, and services.
Action Alert: Proposed Tax Reform Bill in Congress – please contact Maine’s Delegation, specifically Senator Collins, asking her to oppose the tax reform bill:
Congress is working to hurriedly pass major tax reform legislation, which includes real threats to housing, health care, and services. Both the House and Senate have passed different versions of the bill, and now those differences will be worked out in Conference Committee. The bill that emerges from the Conference Committee will then have to be passed in the House and Senate in order to become law. Some key points about the tax bill and how it would affect vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities are noted below:
Now is the time to reach out to Senator Collins asking her to oppose the tax reform bill. Contacting the Senator is important. You can:
Email your messages/letters to:
Submit your messages/letters through the Senators’ web form: https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact
Call one of her offices. Phone lines may be busy, feel free to call different offices:
Your message can be very simple:
You may also want to consider thanking Senator King for opposing the tax reform bill. To do so, you can:
Email your messages/letters to:
Submit your messages/letters through the Senators’ web form: https://www.king.senate.gov/contact
Thank you for raising your voice and taking action. Please do this today; this is being pushed through extremely fast.
Congress is working to hurriedly pass major tax reform legislation, which includes real threats to housing, health care, and services. Both the House and Senate have passed different versions of the bill, and now those differences will be worked out in Conference Committee. The bill that emerges from the Conference Committee will then have to be passed in the House and Senate in order to become law. Some key points about the tax bill and how it would affect vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities are noted below:
- This bill will increase the deficit by nearly $1.5 trillion over the next ten (10) years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Any budget deficit of this magnitude would have to be offset by drastic cuts to other programs. This would most certainly include Non-Defense Discretionary (NDD) programs, including all HUD programs, and very likely entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. An increase to the deficit of this magnitude would also trigger "sequestration" cuts to these same programs.
- The bill would cut funding for the development of affordable housing (the low income housing tax credit program, and the historic tax credit program). Maine has insufficient affordable housing to meet the demand currently. Reducing the key mechanisms for developing affordable housing would magnify the problem.
- The bill repeals the Affordable Care Act (ACA) "individual mandate", which would leave 13 million people uninsured by 2027, 10x the population of Maine. Hundreds of thousands of these are people with disabilities. This would drive up health insurance premiums. Senator Collins has stated that she wouldn’t be opposed to repealing the individual mandate if other ACA-related legislation currently proposed in Congress were enacted. However, per the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ analysis, although Senator Collins’ Lower-Premiums Through Reinsurance Act of 2017 co-sponsored with Senator Nelson, and the Alexander-Murray bill, are both sensible standalone measures, they will not be sufficient to remedy the harm that would be caused by the proposed tax reform legislation.
Now is the time to reach out to Senator Collins asking her to oppose the tax reform bill. Contacting the Senator is important. You can:
Email your messages/letters to:
- Kate Simpson (Kate_Simson@collins.senate.gov)
Submit your messages/letters through the Senators’ web form: https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact
Call one of her offices. Phone lines may be busy, feel free to call different offices:
- Augusta office: 207-622-8414
- Bangor office: 207-945-0417
- Biddeford office: 207-283-1101
- Caribou office: 207-493-7873
- Lewiston office: 207-784-6969
- Portland office: 207-780-3575
- Washington, D.C. office: 202-224-2523
Your message can be very simple:
- Please oppose the tax reform bill, and any version of tax reform legislation that would reduce resources for affordable housing, health care, and support services. In order for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities to have community inclusion they need housing, health care, and support services. All of these will face significant cuts or elimination because of the tax reform bill moving through Congress.
- Please carefully examine any current or future proposal through the lens of the most vulnerable people in Maine. Any legislation must do right by them. I, and the people I care about are counting on you.
You may also want to consider thanking Senator King for opposing the tax reform bill. To do so, you can:
Email your messages/letters to:
- Marge Kilkelly (Marge_Kilkelly@king.senate.gov), Chad Metzler (chad_metzler@king.senate.gov), and Lauren Pfingstag (Lauren_Pfingstag@king.senate.gov).
Submit your messages/letters through the Senators’ web form: https://www.king.senate.gov/contact
Thank you for raising your voice and taking action. Please do this today; this is being pushed through extremely fast.