Tennessee lawmakers from both sides of the aisle reacted to the unveiling of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
GOP leaders unveil key details in new tax plan
Representative Diane Black released the following statement praising the act:
"Today, we took action to present comprehensive tax relief that lowers rates, simplifies the code and gets rid of loopholes so that American families get relief from the crushing burden of high taxes. I am proud of our work with President Trump and Vice President Pence to get this done and I also want to praise the work that Chairman Brady, Committee members and staff have put into this bill. Our goal has always been to relieve the tax burden on middle income families so they can save for the future with a simpler and fairer system. The bottom line is that we believe people need more of their paychecks, and individuals spend their own money more wisely than the government. Period.”
Senator Bob Corker also responded saying he was excited about the tax rewrite.
I have a great deal of respect for the tax-writing committee in the House and appreciate the hard work its members have done to produce this piece of legislation. Throughout my time in public service, I have been a strong advocate for pro-growth tax reform and , like my colleagues, am excited about the possibility of producing the biggest tax rewrite since 1986.
That said, I cannot stress enough that what I care about is doing this right and implementing sound policy. As I have made clear from the beginning of this debate, it is my hope that the final legislation - scoring - will not add to the deficit, sets rates that are permanent in nature, and closes a minimum of $4 trillion in loopholes and special interest deductions. I appreciate the work the Senate tax-writing committee is doing to finalize legislative text and look forward to the debate ahead.
Representative Jim Cooper also responded.
“The Republican tax plan isn’t real reform. It’s real pain for Tennesseans. It hurts families and adds $1.5 trillion to the debt. Surely America can do better,” Rep. Cooper said. “I agree our current tax code is broken, but Republicans should start from scratch and work with Democrats so we can pass a tax bill that can actually become law.”
