Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today made the following statement after House Republicans released their partisan tax proposal:

“It is incredibly disappointing that Republicans are once again pushing partisan legislation and denying Democrats a seat at the table on a major policy debate that touches every American’s life. Whether you’re a small business owner creating jobs in our communities, a family saving for your child’s college tuition, a senior trying to pay for prescription drugs or an entrepreneur inventing the next medical breakthrough, tax reform matters to everyone.

“There is no question that our tax laws are in desperate need of thoughtful reform. Done properly, tax reform could eliminate inequities in the code, and give working families and businesses some certainty so they can plan their futures. But comprehensive tax reform does not mean tilting the scale even more toward the wealthiest as this plan would. It also doesn’t mean temporary, superficial changes that do nothing to grow the middle class. Comprehensive tax reform should be permanent, and put middle-class families first.

“The last time Congress passed comprehensive tax reform was in 1986 and it was a bipartisan package with broad support. If Republicans truly want to accomplish something that has a real, lasting impact on families and businesses across the country, they will abandon this partisan approach and instead reach across the aisle to allow a collaborative, open process that puts families, not politics, first.”

DelBene serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the tax code.

Before being elected to Congress, DelBene served as Director of the Washington State Department of Revenue. During her tenure, DelBene proposed reforms to cut red tape for small businesses, including an innovative tax amnesty program that generated $345 million to help close the state’s budget gap.

###