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Pelosi Remarks at Press Conference with House Democratic Seniors Task Force on Impact of GOP Tax Scam on Older Americans

December 6, 2017

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Seniors Task Force Co-Chairs Jan Schakowsky and Doris Matsui at a press conference highlighting the devastating impacts of the GOP tax scam on older Americans. Below are the Leader's remarks:

Leader Pelosi. Thank you, [Congresswoman] Jan Schakowsky. Thank you all. Thank you Jan Schakowsky and [Congresswoman] Doris Matsui, the Co-Chairs of our task force for their relentless, daily, minute-to-minute appraisal of any issue that comes before the Congress and what impact it has on America's seniors.

I am very pleased that we are joined by the Vice Chairs of the Seniors Task Force, Charlie Crist, Joyce Beatty, Debbie Dingell, other members too. Thanks to Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance of Retired Americans. Does anybody have a tissue over there? And Max Richmond, President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security. It's chilly out here. But it's a very cold day for seniors when it comes to this tax bill.

In every stage of life, this tax bill is an assault of the well-being of the American people. This morning, with MomsRising, we talked about what it meant to children. Their future. Children with disabilities and what it meant for their family's economic security to be able to care for their children.

Quoting what [Senator] Orrin Hatch said about why should the federal government be paying for people who don't want to work. Little children in wheelchairs. Is that what you're talking about? And now, an assault on the well-being of the people who built America, our seniors.

More than five million older taxpayers, many on fixed incomes, AARP even found that they would pay higher taxes. It's a scam that spells ruin for them and million of middle class seniors who will see the value of their home plummet.

For the 64-year-olds who are part of AARP, [they] could see their premiums increase by a value of $1,490 dollars and for every American, as Congresswoman Schakowsky said, ‘They are having to create enormous deficit, adding a trillion and a half to the deficit at minimum. That does not count interest which would take it over two trillion dollars.' Why? To give tax breaks to the wealthiest people.

Sixty-two percent of the tax advantage in the Senate bill goes to the top 1 percent. Seventy-eight million middle income families will see their taxes raised and our seniors will pay a high price. As they create this big deficit, where do they go? It's just an excuse for them to come back and assault Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Assault the health and well-being of America's seniors.

This is a life-and-death threat for seniors and a fight for seniors and children and families across America. We must now defeat this ruinous bill. I started with the children because, as I said this morning, the children's well-being is affected by the economic well-being of their grandparents. So this is all connected. With that, I'm pleased to yield back to Congresswoman Schakowsky or should I yield back to the next speaker?

So for the seniors, the children and the families, let's defeat this bill that robs seniors, rewards the rich, and undermines the economic security of America's families.

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