Washington’s two senators have been appointed to the GOP Tax Bill Conference Committee that will sort out the differences between the two tax bills passed by the House and Senate.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell were both named as two of the seven Senate Democratic conferees to participate in negotiations on the Trump-Republican tax plan.
Murray, in a statement, urged Republicans to “to walk away from their appalling, lopsided plan to raise taxes for the middle class while giving big corporations and the rich a massive tax break.”
Murray’s complete statement:
“I am proud to work to bring the many concerns of Washington state families directly to this conference committee alongside Senator Cantwell. I am going to be urging Republicans to listen to their constituents and finally begin a transparent, bipartisan process that actually puts workers, families, patients, and the middle class first, rather than just paying them lip service.
“A tax plan that relies on further sabotaging the health care system, spiking families’ premiums, and causing millions to lose their coverage —just to pay for corporate tax breaks — does not meet that test. And I will continue to make clear that the bipartisan bill I wrote with Chairman Alexander will not undo the damage that this tax plan would cause when it comes to health care.
“Washington state families are paying attention to the details of the Republican tax plan, from the elimination of the state and local tax deduction that would affect hundreds of thousands of families in our state, to the backdoor attempt to open up the Arctic Refuge to drilling. I look forward to bringing these issues and more to the table.
“It’s not too late for Republicans to walk away from their appalling, lopsided plan to raise taxes for the middle class while giving big corporations and the rich a massive tax break — and if they step back from the precipice, I am ready to get to work,” Murray said.
In addition to Murray and Cantwell, the Senate Democratic conferees include Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Tom Carper (D-DE).
