Tester to Vote Against Massive Tax Giveaway to the Wealthy

Senator Opposes Partisan Bill that Adds More Than $1 Trillion to the Debt, Cuts Medicare, and Raises Health Care Premiums

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester tonight will vote against a massive tax giveaway to the wealthy that will add more than $1 trillion to the national debt.

Tester scolded colleagues on the Senate floor prior to the vote for supporting a partisan bill that will add to the deficit and saddle future generations with more crushing debt.

“Those of you who vote yes on this bill will do so at the expense of our kids and grandkids,” Tester said. “They will be paying this tab long after we are gone. This bill will limit their opportunities and cap their potential.”

Tester blasted the tax giveaway that will force cuts as high as $25 billion to Medicare, rip health insurance away from Montanans, and raise health insurance premiums next year by 10 percent.

“This bill also destroys the foundation of our health care system,” Tester added. “Thirteen million Americans will become uninsured and everyone else’s premiums will go up by 10 percent. It will become more expensive to see your doctor. It will be harder for rural hospitals and clinics to keep their doors open. And more folks will end up in the emergency room-they will be sicker and their treatment will be more expensive and the rest of us will be forced to pay for it.”

Tester criticized the closed-door, partisan bill drafting process, which included no public hearings and no public input. Tester directly asked President Trump to work together on tax reform provisions that work for Montanans, but his requests were never answered.

“There was no effort to reach across the aisle and build consensus for this bill,” Tester said. “Once again, folks chose to draw a line in the sand. They chose to empower the fringes and leave those of us in the middle out in the cold. That is not what our founding fathers had in mind.”

Tester also slammed Congress for passing a tax bill that favors large multi-national corporations over Montana families. The bill creates permanent tax cuts for corporations, but all individual income tax cuts are set to expire by 2025. Within the next ten years, a majority of Montanans will see their taxes rise as a result of this bill.

After independent analysis, the tax bill contains the following provisions:

• Adds more than $1 trillion to the national debt.
• Triggers cuts to Medicare of up to $25 billion.
• Rips health insurance away from 13 million Americans.
• Forces health insurance premiums to rise ten percent next year.
• Provides 83 percent of the tax cuts will go to the top one percent of wage earners.
• Reduces state revenues and put critical initiatives at risk.
• Raises taxes on majority of households by 2027.

The tax bill is expected to pass on a party-line vote after 9:30 p.m. MT.