[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9260-H9261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TAX BILL IS HARMFUL TO VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Walz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the ranking member of the 
House Veterans' Affairs Committee, as the co-chair of the National 
Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, as the co-chair of the 
Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus, and probably more importantly, as a 
retired enlisted soldier to bring to your attention a number of 
provisions in the GOP tax bill that will negatively impact the men and 
women currently serving and transitioning from the United States 
military.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. Tax reform is a laudable goal. It 
would have been nice had we actually done it, had we actually had 
debates, had we actually had witnesses. Zero, zero, zero. What we have 
is a closed-door bill brought forward and forced upon the House. In my 
opinion, trying to think that the American people would not watch what 
happens here is pretty risky.
  These are folks in the military who risked everything to give us the 
right to debate things here. We should at least probably debate their 
future in an open manner. I hope we will strongly consider, Mr. 
Speaker, each of these following provisions in this bill that will put 
the prosperity of America's heroes at risk.
  As the legislation is written, this tax plan includes provisions that 
will specifically harm members and veterans to help pay for tax cuts 
for corporations and the ultrawealthy.
  How can you justify giving a tax cut for carrying interest, but not 
for carrying a rucksack?
  That is what that vote will be today. Be very clear about this. When 
you cast your ``yes'' vote, you are being very clear.
  The first thing it does is it repeals tax credits proven to help 
veterans find employment when they come home, such as the repeal of the 
Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which includes the Help Hire Our Heroes 
Act. This credit is available to employers who hire veterans who have a 
service-connected disability, or are unemployed, or receive SNAP 
benefits.
  Between 2013 and 2015, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit helped nearly 
300,000 veterans find employment. But, again, don't take my word for 
it. The people who are telling you not to do this are the Air Force 
Sergeants Association, the United States Air Force Association, AMVETS, 
Army Aviation Association of America, Association of the United States 
Army, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, 
Gold Star Wives of America, Jewish War Veterans of the United States of 
America, Marine Corps League, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, 
Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. They are 
telling you, if you vote ``yes,'' you are hurting the opportunities of 
America's veterans.
  The GOP tax bill also repeals the disabled access tax credit. This 
simply allows small businesses to claim a tax

[[Page H9261]]

expenditure when they make their buildings more accessible for people 
with disabilities. Its elimination will discourage small businesses 
from making their workplaces accessible and friendly to those disabled 
veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, by eliminating the deduction for interest payments or 
student loans, the GOP tax bill will make education even more expensive 
or out of reach for our veterans. While the GI Bill pays a portion of 
it, it does not pay it all. A large percentage of veterans also rely on 
student loans. This will hurt many veterans who rely on that to make 
school work.
  This bill will make it more expensive for military families to sell 
their homes. How wrong is that?
  The bill requires a homeowner to have owned and lived in a home for 
at least 5 years of the last 8 years to get a tax exemption on the 
money made from the sale of their home. No one serves in one location 
that long. No exemption was written in it. Had it been brought to the 
floor, we would have offered an amendment, and I bet you money, my 
Republican colleagues would have accepted it.
  They didn't get that chance because somebody wrote it for them and 
passed it down here and is going to tell them to vote ``yes'' on it. 
That is simply wrong. I don't question their commitment to veterans. I 
question the way they wrote this bill. That is real life. These things 
will really happen, and it is verified by all kinds of outside sources.
  By repealing the medical expense deduction, the GOP tax bill will 
hurt veterans struggling with costly medical bills. Most veterans 
aren't in the VA. Most veterans don't qualify for the VA because they 
make more money than the threshold, or they are not disabled to the 
point where they get there. So most of them receive their health 
benefits through their employer. But when those expenses get too great, 
one of the things we have in current tax law is they are allowed to 
deduct those expenses. They are taking that away.
  When you vote ``yes'' today, you are taking that away and giving 
billionaires a tax break. Once again, it is going to be a choice. It is 
very simple, yes or no; green light, red light. You will be able to 
decide on that. This hurts veterans.

  By prioritizing corporations and the ultrawealthy over the middle 
class, they are directly harming veterans. Be very clear: a veteran's 
median income is $37,466. They are not going to see savings from this 
bill. If they are a disabled veteran or have a child going to college, 
they will pay more so that a very few of us can get a tax break.
  Corporations, by the way, can deduct State and local taxes. Veterans 
can't. A corporation can deduct property tax. There is a lot more in 
here that is bad. Bring this back to the floor. Work with us. Protect 
America's heroes. Do what is right.

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