Congressional Candidate Whalen Responds to Reed Vote on Budget

Press Release:

Geneva, New York — Today, Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY23) once again put partisanship before the interests of his district’s working families and retirees, according to economist Charles Whalen, an Ontario County resident seeking the Democratic nomination to face off against Reed in 2018. In a close vote, the Republican Congress passed a budget resolution, paving the way for tax hikes on middle-class families and huge tax breaks for the rich and big corporations. The budget vote enables Republicans to ram through a tax plan that promises more than $1 trillion in breaks for the highest earners and the wealthy. The plan also calls for elimination of the deduction for state and local income taxes — which means double taxation for residents of New York State — and puts at risk both homeowners’ mortgage interest deductions and workers’ individual retirement accounts. “The top 1% will get a massive handout, while residents of our district will be left holding the bag,” says Whalen — who adds that even President Trump’s economic advisor, Gary Cohn, admitted he “can’t guarantee” middle-class families won’t pay more taxes under the GOP plan. Whalen also points to the work of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, which finds that the Republican tax cuts will neither pay for themselves nor boost economic growth. The budget resolution will also hurt working families and retirees in other ways. At the same time that it allows Republicans to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit, the resolution slashes $473 billion for Medicare, cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid, and imposes $5 trillion in cuts to programs like Head Start, Pell Grants and cancer research. “This vote fits a disturbing pattern,” says Whalen. “Reed just can’t help himself. Even when his constituents need him most, Republicans in Congress can count on Reed to turn his back on the district and put partisanship over problem solving. Today he did it again.”