{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://johnlewis.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-john-lewis-statement-ways-and-means-committee-s-passage-republican", "Rep. John Lewis' Statement on the Ways and Means Committee's Passage of Republican Tax Cut Legislation: A Missed Opportunity", "2017-11-09", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "John Lewis", "L000287", "johnlewis.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2014 This afternoon the House Ways and Means Committee passed unprecedented tax cut legislation. \u00a0As the only Georgian serving on the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Lewis\u2019 website tracked all Committee votes and amendments to ensure that public received timely information. \u00a0Following the completion of the four-day markup, Rep. Lewis made the following statement \u2013\n\u00a0\n\u201cThirty-one years ago, I was elected to serve in the United States Congress in November 1986.\u00a0 The Ways and Means Committee Members spent thoughtful days, months, and years studying, learning, and working together to develop historic tax reform legislation was a model to my entire class.\u00a0 Their work inspired me to work hard for an appointment to the Ways and Means Committee \u2013 the oldest standing Committee in the House of Representatives.\n\u00a0\nThis week Ways and Means marked up a bill that is a shame and a disgrace to the example of those Members and the legacy of our Committee, which is responsible for the core constitutional responsibility of the Congress \u2013 the power of the purse.\u00a0 It is a duty, which I do not take lightly.\n\u00a0\nFor 16 years, the United States has been engaged in two wars, and for the first time in our nation\u2019s history, the Congress failed to develop a way to pay for them.\u00a0 The bill does nothing to support the programs and services upon which veterans and military families, who make the daily sacrifice, rely.\u00a0 Instead, this tax cut bill pays for these wars on a credit card.\u00a0 The debt will be passed onto our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.\u00a0 The failure to face this truth is disgraceful.\n\u00a0\nAs people in Metro Atlanta began to study the bill and calculate the costs, my office began receiving frantic phone calls and emails.\u00a0 They learned that the Republican tax cut bill would penalize students, seniors, the disabled, immigrants, and home owners.\u00a0 Faith leaders and charitable organizations would be unwillingly pulled into politics.\u00a0 Workers would lose employer support for training and education benefits, and the major community development, housing, transportation, water and sewer, and health programs upon which Metro Atlanta relies would suffer irreparable damage.\n\u00a0\nEarlier today, I introduced 10 Missed Opportunities bills that require Federal agencies to report the cost of this dangerous, mean-spirited, and irresponsible legislation to Metro Atlanta and our nation.\u00a0 It is clear that this Republican Congress has no intention to do tax reform.\u00a0 Instead, we are considering a tax cut bill, which picks winners and losers.\u00a0 We need to be honest with ourselves and the American public about what this bill will mean to people today and to generations yet unborn.\u201d", 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://johnlewis.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-john-lewis-statement-ways-and-means-committee-s-passage-republican"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5776350628584623, "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"}