While Republicans Try to Ram an Unpopular Tax Plan Through Congress, Americans Continue to Voice Their Objection

December 19, 2017

OVER 930,000 CALLS HAVE BEEN MADE TO HOUSE AND SENATE MEMBERS IN OPPOSITION TO THE #GOPTAXSCAM

Concerned constituents opposed to the Republican tax plan have now placed more than 930,000 phone calls to Congress using tools and 1-800 numbers set up by a wide coalition of groups opposed to the plan. Of course, many more voters have called their members of Congress directly, and the 930,000 calls represent only those that we can track. Activists and media outlets from across the country continue to report full voicemail boxes and busy signals at Congressional offices.

Poll after poll shows how unpopular this GOP tax scam is, and it’s no wonder that so many voters are urging them to reject giant tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations at the expense of middle-class taxpayers and cuts to Medicare.

The groups whose tools generated the above combined count include:

  • Alliance for Retired Americans
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
  • American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
  • Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
  • Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund (ATFAF)
  • Citizens for Tax Justice
  • Communication Workers of America (CWA)
  • CREDO Action
  • Climate Hawks Vote
  • Daily Kos
  • Earthjustice
  • Economic Policy Institute Policy Center
  • Healthcare for America Now (HCAN)
  • Healthcare for American Now Education Fund (HCANEF)
  • Indivisible
  • League of Conservation Voters (LCV)
  • Main Street Alliance
  • MomsRising
  • org
  • National Education Association (NEA)
  • New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA)
  • Not One Penny
  • Organizing for Action (OFA)
  • Our Revolution
  • Oxfam
  • Patriotic Millionaires
  • People’s Action
  • Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC)
  • Public Citizen
  • Save My Care
  • Stand Up America
  • Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Tax Action Center
  • Tax March
  • 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • 5 Calls Civic Action

Below are statements from some of the groups involved in this grassroots effort:

“The wealthiest 1% and big corporations spent millions lobbying for this bill so that they can get billions of dollars in tax cuts. But millions of everyday Americans know what’s at stake for them and their family, and they are speaking loudly and purposefully.” —Frank Clemente, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

“Thousands of Americans have screamed at the top of their lungs that they don’t want a tax bill that raises their taxes to pay for tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations. This bill is an affront to our working families—and we will not stop until every single member hears our voices.” —Nicole Gill, Executive Director, Tax March

“People are speaking loudly and clearly against the Republican-led push to further enrich corporations and the 1%. If their voices are not heard before the vote, they will be in 2018’s elections.” —Don Kusler, National Director, Americans for Democratic Action

“This bill rewards the Exxon and Koch brothers with trillions of our dollars for destroying our climate. We’ll hold accountable Republicans, especially those in the Climate Solutions Caucus who voted for the bill.” —RL Miller, President, Climate Hawks Vote

“This bill is so much more than just tax cuts. It’s a radically dangerous exercise in social engineering. It’s widely recognized by everyone but congressional Republicans and President Trump as a deeply irresponsible plan that will do everything from preventing states and local government from levying taxes to try to make up for what they’re losing from the federal government, to cutting health care and education and public transportation and the safety net. Every Republican who votes for this is hitching their wagon to Trump.” —Joan McCarter, Senior Political Writer, Daily Kos

“Senate Republicans just voted to hand tax breaks to millionaires, billionaires and corporations on the backs of working families. They claim that their tax plan will boost wages for American workers. But real-world evidence suggests otherwise. Cutting corporations’ taxes is not a recipe for increasing workers’ wages. It’s a recipe for exacerbating income and wealth inequality.” —Josh Bivens, Director of Policy, Economic Policy Institute Policy Center

“People all across this country are outraged by this Tax Scam that delivers huge tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations and would turn the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge into an industrial oil field. Congress should reject this awful legislation.” —Alex Taurel, Deputy Legislative Director, League of Conservation Voters

“The claim that this tax bill helps small business is an act in the GOP’s smoke and mirror show to pass an extremely bad bill. Phones on Capitol Hill have been ringing off the hook with thousands of small business owners calling to say they are seriously concerned about this tax bill. ” —Amanda Ballantyne, National Director, Main Street Alliance

“The GOP tax plan would punish the middle class, devastate essential programs that boost our health care, nutrition and education, and undermine our economy. The moms of America see right through this trickery and are calling in by the thousands to tell their members of Congress to vote no!” —Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“Republicans in Congress are railroading a tax bill that would raise taxes on half of all taxpayers, just to give huge tax breaks to giant corporations and the wealthiest Americans. The public is strongly opposed to this outrageous attempt to rob poor and middle-class families to line the pockets of big corporations and billionaires. MoveOn members have been on fire organizing against this bill—and our members are absolutely clear that we will hold Republicans in Congress accountable if they jam this disaster through.” —Anna Galland, Executive Director, MoveOn.org Civic Action

“The GOP tax bill is morally bankrupt, intellectually corrupt, and morally indefensible. It will be a disaster for millions of hardworking American families, devastating both their bank accounts and their health, all in the name of tax cuts for the wealthy. The American people have seen this bill for the catastrophe that it is, and are letting their elected officials know that it is unacceptable.” —Morris Pearl, Chair of the Board, Patriotic Millionaires

“The public justifications for this horrible bill are transparently false. It will not improve the economy, it will not create jobs, it will not help the middle class. What the bill will do is benefit the donor class, which is the one and only reason Republicans are trying to ram it through. But, the power of We the People can still keep this unconscionable bill from being passed.” —Susan Harley, Deputy Director, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division

“We saw the power of flooding lawmakers’ phone lines during the health care fight – when thousands upon thousands of your constituents are pleading with you not to pass legislation that will harm their families, it makes a difference. Let’s hope Congress listens once again.” —Jesse Lehrich, Communications Director, Organizing for Action

“Tens of thousands of Oxfam supporters have sent letters and made calls to Congress demanding that they reject this terrible tax bill. This vote is a real test of who our elected officials side with.” —Ben Grossman-Cohen, Global Campaign Manager, Oxfam

“The Republican tax plan that Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Donald Trump are rushing through Congress and shoving down the throats of working families will spell doom for Republicans in 2018 because it represents class warfare against working families. Americans at the ballot box next November will remember that Republicans voted to cut Medicare and end health care for millions in order to give trillions in tax cuts to the wealthiest CEO’s and giant corporations.” —Stephanie Taylor, Co-Founder, Progressive Change Campaign Committee

“These tax giveaways are yet another example of the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans’ misplaced priorities and disrespect for the people who elected them. SEIU members and our communities are not fooled by President Trump and Congressional Republicans who claim working families will benefit from this bill, when independent studies clearly show the opposite. Members of Congress may choose to ignore the voices of their constituents who called, wrote letters and participated in civil disobedience in protest of this bill, they will not be able to ignore the votes cast against them next year.” —Mary Kay Henry, International president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

“The President of the United States is under federal investigation for conspiring with the Russian government. This is not a moment to let him rewrite our tax code. Congress should be laser-focused on protecting our democracy and our national security.” —Sean Eldridge, Founder and President, Stand Up America

“This tax plan is a robbery of America’s working families in broad daylight. Far from creating jobs, the bill threatens to destabilize the economy, hurt small businesses and reward corporations for outsourcing and automating American jobs. Our members are mobilizing against this disaster of a tax scam and will continue to hold Congress accountable for this assault on working families everywhere.” —Hector Figueroa, President, 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

“It’s clear to Americans that this tax plan is a hand out to the donor class and doesn’t serve the interest of most of its citizens in the long term. Regardless of the outcome, lawmakers should know that we’re watching how they vote and we have one message: See you in 2018.” —Nick O’Neill, Co-Founder, 5 Calls Civic Action