{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399064", "Jaime Herrera Beutler Supports Lowering Taxes for Southwest Washington Residents", "2017-11-15", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Jaime Herrera Beutler", "H001056", "herrerabeutler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler announced her support for the U.S. House\u2019s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that will allow residents across Southwest Washington to keep more of their money and earn bigger paychecks.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Today, U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler announced her support for the U.S. House\u2019s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that will allow residents across Southwest Washington to keep more of their money and earn bigger paychecks.\r\nFor instance, a family of four in Southwest Washington making a median salary of $83,874 will get to keep $1,929 more of their money instead of paying it in taxes; and independent studies show 19,968 more jobs will be created in the state of Washington and middle-income families will see on average $2,672 more in their paychecks due to economic growth.\r\n\u201cThis bill is a good deal for Southwest Washington taxpayers,\u201d said Jaime. \u201cWhile portions of our economy have seen a boost since the recession, the take-home pay, salary increases and raises of actual workers have not \u2013 and Congress has an opportunity to change that by passing this tax cut bill. These tax cuts will nearly double the amount the IRS can\u2019t touch from your paycheck each year, from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and from $12,700 to $24,000 for married folks.\u00a0Seven out of ten Southwest Washington taxpayers already use this \u2018standard deduction\u2019 to calculate their tax bill \u2013 and with it doubling, even more people here will use it to pay a lower, simpler tax bill, which will leave more money in their wallets.\r\n\u201cFor individuals who rely on relief from their mortgage interest payments, property tax payments or costs of raising kids, those deductions and credits are largely preserved and even strengthened. For instance, a new \u2018family credit\u2019 provides a $300 boost for each parent to help with everyday expenses. If you\u2019re a family of four in Vancouver and you earn around $84,000 \u2013 the mean family salary in our region \u2013 you will keep about $1,929 more of your money each year.\r\n\u201cNearly eight out of 10 Americans live paycheck to paycheck, unable to save any money once the bills are paid and groceries are bought.\u00a0By voting yes for this bill, Congress has the opportunity to spark economic growth that will provide an average $2,600 boost in annual paychecks.\r\n\u201cThe bottom line is this: as a result of this tax cut plan, most residents will keep more of their money, paychecks will be bigger, and we\u2019ll have nearly 20,000 new jobs in Washington alone.\u201d\r\nHow Southwest Washington will benefit from the U.S. House\u2019s tax cuts:\r\n \r\n    More money in the pockets of Southwest Washington residents: \r\n    \r\n        The median household of four in Southwest Washington (making $83,874) will save $1,929 per year on their taxes \r\n        Lowers individual tax rates\r\n        Increases the standard deduction\r\n        Retains popular retirement savings options such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts\r\n    \r\n \r\n \r\n    More jobs & wage increases:\r\n    \r\n        19,968 more jobs in Washington state \r\n        $2,672 is the estimated gain of take-home pay for middle-income families\r\n    \r\n \r\n \r\n    Supports small businesses:\r\n    \r\n    Provides a new, low tax rate of 9% for startup businesses who fuel innovation & job creation\r\n    Allows businesses to immediately write off the full cost of new equipment\r\n    \r\n \r\n \r\n    Supports families: \r\n    \r\n        Establishes a new Family Credit \u2013 which includes a larger Child Tax Credit (an increase from $1,000 to $1,600), and the Child & Dependent Care Tax Credit to help all families with their everyday expenses\r\n        Continues to allow people to write off the cost of state and local property taxes up to $10,000\r\n        Preserves the home mortgage interest deduction up to $500,000\r\n        90% of Southwest Washington residents will be able to file their taxes on a postcard-sized form\r\n    \r\n \r\n  \r\nCharge vs. Fact in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\r\nCharge 1: \u201cThis bill is a tax increase on the middle class.\u201d\r\nFACT: This false attack was being spread before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was even released.\u00a0In its \u201cFour Pinocchio\u201d rebuke (out of four possible Pinocchio\u2019s \u2013 rated a \u201cWhopper\u201d) of the claim that most middle class families would have their taxes increased, the Washington Post fact-checker wrote:  \u201cIn their haste to condemn the GOP tax plan, Democrats have spread far and wide the false claim that families making less than $86,100 on average will face a hefty tax hike. Actually, it\u2019s the opposite. Most families in that income range would get a tax cut.\u201d\r\n\r\nCharge 2: \u201cThis bill is a giveaway to the most wealthy.\u201d\r\nFACT: In fact, this bill maintains the top 39.6% tax rate on high-income earners, while lowering the tax rate on low- and middle-income taxpayers. It eliminates dozens of costly and complex loopholes and special deals that have historically benefitted wealthier Americans the most.\u00a0The wealthiest Americans will continue to pay the most in taxes, both in dollar and percentage terms.\r\nAnyone who makes this charge has likely not studied the bill. For instance, they\u2019ve certainly missed that under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, if a pro sports team owner wants a new stadium, they\u2019ll be forced to pay for more of it themselves.\u00a0This tax reform bill eliminates a special tax break that exists under the code that incentivizes taxpayer-funding of new stadiums.\r\n\r\nCharge 3: \u201cThis bill will only benefit big corporations.\u201d\r\nFACT: If you think corporations should continue getting tax breaks for renting out suites at the Super Bowl or holding executive golf outings, then the current tax code is for you. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminates the deduction of these and other corporate loopholes.\r\nRather than using this narrowly-tailored, complex system of special tax loopholes to hold more rounds of golf, corporations will see relief from what is currently the highest corporate tax rate in the world.\u00a0Multiple economists conclude that a more competitive corporate tax rate will result in more jobs and bigger paychecks right here in the U.S.\r\n\r\nCharge 4: \u201cThis is simply a giveaway to big corporations at the expense of Main Street businesses.\u201d\r\nFACT: Main Street businesses stand to gain substantially from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in Southwest Washington. Of the nearly 40,000 Southwest Washington small businesses that operate as \u201cpass through\u201d entities (taxes are paid by the owner on her individual returns):\r\n \r\n    Those small businesses that make $150,000 or less in net business income, the first $75,000 in income will be lowered to 9%.\r\n    The small business tax rate will be lowered to 25%.\r\n \r\nOther pieces of the bill that will benefit small businesses:\r\n \r\n    Small businesses will be able to write off the full cost of new equipment.\r\n    Small businesses will be able to write off the interest on loans used to start or grow operations \u2013 and hire more workers.\r\n    The \u201cDeath Tax\u201d will be phased out after six years, eliminating the penalty for passing family-owned farms and small businesses to the next generation.\r\n \r\n\r\nCharge 5: \u201cChanging the state and local tax deduction will raise taxes significantly on middle-class families.\u201d\r\nFACT:The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is focused on simplifying the tax code by lowering overall rates and increasing the standard deduction. It continues to allow families to deduct state and local property taxes up to $10,000.\u00a0\r\nWhen critics of the plan cherry-pick individual deductions that offer a specific benefit under the current tax code, they are ignoring the bigger reforms that will ultimately save lower- and middle-class Washingtonians more money overall.\u00a0 Seven out of 10 Southwest Washington residents don\u2019t use this deduction \u2013 or any itemized deduction.\u00a0By nearly doubling the standard deduction, even fewer would find that the local tax deduction benefits them as much as taking advantage of the standard deduction and saving more money than they do now.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\n\r\nCharge 6: \u201cThis is fiscally irresponsible and will add trillions to our deficit.\u201d\r\nFACT: First of all, the bill eliminates billions of dollars in special interest loopholes and tax breaks that have only benefited a narrow segment of wealthy individuals, or that have stifled economic growth. By eliminating these breaks, by incentivizing small and large employers to invest more in their operations, and by lowering the overall tax burden on these employers, private sector businesses will grow and increase revenue, paychecks will grow, and more people will be employed \u2013 contributing the necessary revenue to fund these tax cuts.\r\nThis method of calculating what a bill will cost and how it\u2019s paid for \u2013 accounting for a larger, more robust economy -- is referred to as \u201cdynamic scoring,\u201d which the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation has utilized since 2003.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nFurthermore, when those critics of the tax cut plan are the same individuals who had no fiscal reservations about voting in Congress for trillions of dollars of unfunded stimulus plans, bailouts, Medicaid expansions, and failed green energy subsidies \u2013 it begs the question of whether their attacks along these lines are based on policy, or politics.\r\n\r\nCharge 7: \u201cCharitable giving will plummet as result of this bill.\u201d\r\nFACT: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act preserves the itemized deduction for charitable giving, so that Washington residents can continue to see tax benefits from donating to local churches and nonprofits.\u00a0 Additionally, by growing Americans\u2019 paychecks, the bill will give Americans more money to donate to churches and charities.\r\n\r\nCharge 8: \u201cCharities that benefit under the current tax code will be harmed.\u201d\r\nFACT: Under this tax cut bill, tax exempt status for charitable organizations is protected.\u00a0What the bill includes are commonsense reforms that ensure such privileged status is being reserved for organizations that truly serve and help people. For instance, under this reform, a not-for-profit public art gallery will receive a bigger tax benefit than a private art collector.\r\n\r\nCharge 9: \u201cRepublicans are simply helping corporations be able to ship more jobs overseas.\u201d\r\nFACT: U.S. based corporations will see immediate incentive for expanding their operations within the U.S. when their overall tax rate is lowered from 35% to 20%, which nonpartisan analyses predict will raise the average American\u2019s paycheck by $1,800 to $4,000.\r\nAdditionally, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will allow for a one time \u201crepatriation\u201d of overseas earnings, meaning that money will be brought to the U.S. from foreign accounts and assets where it can be invested in U.S. operations and businesses \u2013 a potential $2.6 trillion stimulus to the U.S. economy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://herrerabeutler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399064"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9897311683744192, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}