While our economy grew because of Democrats’ economic policies, including the expansion of the Child Tax Credit, under the Trump administration many families are struggling with rising costs including the price of gas, housing, and child care. I’m committed to creating an economy that works for everyone by helping our small businesses and local industries rebuild so they can support good-paying jobs for years to come, including in the aerospace, manufacturing, high-tech, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, and health care industries. We must support businesses that are creating jobs and invest in the training, education, and skills of our workers to ensure they are prepared for success. This has been a long-term commitment of mine since I secured $200 million to expand job training opportunities during my first term in Congress.
Whether at the grocery store, the pharmacy counter, or the gas pump, everything is getting more expensive. But Republicans in D.C. not only refuse to take action to provide meaningful relief, they have made things worse. Tariffs are raising costs across the board, whether it’s food, clothing, or even school supplies! The Republican Big, Ugly Bill is driving up utility bills across the country. Republican cuts to Medicaid and their refusal to extend tax credits under the Affordable Care Act are spiking health care costs and ripping away health care coverage from millions.
Donald Trump and Republicans promised to lower costs on ‘day one.’ Since Trump returned to office, it’s been nothing but one big broken promise.
Washington families and businesses have suffered due to Trump’s illegal and indiscriminate use of tariffs – raising prices on everything, on everyone. As one of the most trade dependent states in the nation, Trump’s tariffs have had a damaging impact on countless Washington businesses by raising input costs and closing off markets. I have been a leader in asserting Congress’s Constitutional authority when it comes to trade policy and have introduced several bills to curb Trump’s abuses of power, including the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act and the Congressional Trade Authority Act. I also provided arguments to the Supreme Court which ultimately aligned with the high court’s decision to strike down Trump’s illegal tariffs.
I am an original cosponsor of the RELIEF Act, which would require the federal government to automatically refund tariffs and customs duties collected under Trump’s illegal tariffs. I am also an original cosponsor of legislation that would repeal Section 122 to prevent further tariff abuse by Trump.
As a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, I am focused on modernizing the tax code and creating policies that are fair for all Americans and give businesses the ability to plan for the future. Tax policy should focus on growing the middle class and providing economic opportunity. Through a modernized tax code, we can also invest more in America, encouraging job creation and innovation. Congress should focus on simplifying our tax code by eliminating inefficient and unfair tax breaks and subsidies that no longer make sense in today’s global economy. Any time our federal government offers a tax break or subsidy, we should consider it as an investment and evaluate whether we are getting an adequate return. We must also stop governing retroactively and with short-term policies that Congress must extend each year. Families and businesses need predictability and stability.
Under the Republican majority in the House, none of this has happened. Instead of modernizing the tax code to help working families and spur economic growth, Republicans passed their Big, Ugly Bill which gave massive tax breaks to the wealthiest few while gutting health care, only to increase the federal deficit by trillions over the next decade.
We need a Congress that will focus on putting working families and broad economic growth first, and that’s what I’m fighting for every day. I continue to champion efforts that provide tax relief for the middle-class, including the enhanced Child Tax Credit and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. The enhanced Child Tax Credit was included in the American Rescue Plan and provided families with monthly checks for 6 months and lifted 3 million kids out of poverty. I am also the lead sponsor of legislation that would create or preserve more than 2 million affordable housing units nationwide in the next decade and address the growing housing crisis.
The President has plunged us into a reckless war in Iran that has cost American lives, billions of dollars, and destabilized the Middle East and global markets. He’s done all of this without articulating a strategy with clear objectives and has not made the case to the American public for the justification for his war of choice. Congress has the sole authority to declare war. I have voted in favor of multiple War Powers Resolutions directing the removal of the U.S. Armed forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela and from hostilities with Iran. I continue to oppose rogue presidential military operations and will do everything possible to ensure that the American people are not drawn into forever wars.
