[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 183 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          REPUBLICAN TAX PLAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on Monday, I was in Crystal Lake, IL, in 
the 6th Congressional District. I was joined by realtors and local 
elected officials to talk about how the GOP tax plan would hurt 
families in my home State of Illinois. The families in the 6th 
Congressional District would be hit especially hard since they are in 
the 12th highest district in terms of the benefit received from the 
State and local tax deduction--a deduction that is gutted in the 
Republican House tax plan.
  Republicans released this plan last Thursday, have been marking it up 
in committee this week, with the plan to have it on the House floor 
next week.
  It is already clear that this partisan plan does nothing more than 
double-down on some of the most damaging ideas from the framework 
congressional Republicans and the White House released in September--
and the bill gets worse the closer you look.
  The House Republican bill would bankroll massive tax cuts for the 
wealthy few and the largest corporations on the backs of hard-working 
families in Illinois and across the country.
  The bill eliminates some of the most vital tax breaks for people in 
Illinois--making it so that struggling seniors no longer will be able 
to deduct costly out-of-pocket medical expenses and that the 1.5 
million Illinoisans with Federal student loan debt will no longer be 
able to deduct the interest paid on those loans.
  Congressional Republicans didn't stop at eliminating deductions for 
medical expenses and student loan interest.
  Republicans want to take away one of the most valuable deductions for 
working families in this State--the State and local tax deduction.
  Eliminating this deduction to fund a massive tax cuts for 
corporations and the ultrawealthy was a centerpiece of the Framework 
Republicans released earlier this year--a move that would raise taxes 
on one-third of all taxpayers.
  After strong opposition within their ranks for eliminating the State 
and local tax deduction, the House Republican plan released last week 
proposes a ``compromise'' to obtain the support of congressional 
Republicans that represent States like Illinois.
  This so-called compromise eliminates the tax deduction for State and 
local income taxes, and caps the deduction for property taxes, so 
instead of eliminating the deduction altogether, they just gut it. If 
you ask me, that is no compromise at all.
  The result is still the same: middle-income families would still be 
double taxed when it comes to income, sales, and some property taxes--
once by the Federal Government and again by the State.
  This would make it more expensive for families to fund services at 
the local level like the local schools, police and fire departments, 
and local roads and bridges.
  Make no mistake, in Illinois--the State with the fifth highest number 
of taxpayers claiming the State and local tax deduction--would be hit 
especially hard. Nearly 2 million Illinoisans--roughly one-third of 
taxpayers in the State--claimed more than $24 billion in State and 
local tax deductions in 2015 alone.
  If Republicans are successful in eliminating or gutting this 
deduction, it will mean a tax hike for working families across 
Illinois.
  If completely eliminated, a family of four living in a place like 
Crystal Lake making around $76,000 per year would pay more than $1,400 
more in taxes each year.
  And what do Republicans do with the money from raising taxes on one-
third of middle-income families in Illinois? They give the ultrawealthy 
and the largest corporations a tax cut.
  That is just plain wrong.
  I urge House Republicans to oppose any tax plan that would raise 
taxes on middle-income families by gutting the State and local tax 
deduction in order to give cuts to the largest corporations and richest 
1 percent.

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