{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://macarthur.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-macarthur-issues-challenge-murphy-menendez-booker", "Congressman MacArthur Issues Challenge to Murphy, Menendez, & Booker", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Tom MacArthur", "M001193", "macarthur.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Tom MacArthur sent the below letter to Governor-Elect Phil Murphy and Senators Menendez and Booker, after their continued partisan attacks.\nDecember 11, 2017\nDear Governor-Elect Murphy, Senator Menendez, and Senator Booker,\nInstead of working to deliver real tax relief to New Jerseyans who deserve it, you have all decided to embark on a dishonest campaign intended to mischaracterize the tax reform legislation working its way through Congress for partisan political gain.\u00a0\nOur shared constituents deserve better.\u00a0 They deserve the truth.\nNew Jersey is among the highest-taxed states in the nation and a recent study ranked us as the worst state in America for out-migration.\u00a0 Retirees, millennials and families are leaving New Jersey in droves because they can't afford to stay.\u00a0 That crisis has zero to do with a federal tax reform bill that hasn't become law yet.\u00a0\nWorse, it has become abundantly clear that you have not done any real analysis of this plan, outside of parroting partisan talking points. So, allow me to educate you about why the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is good for the constituents of New Jersey\u2019s Third Congressional District.\nRight off the bat, more than half of my constituents take the standard deduction, which doubles in the legislation I supported. Nearly 70% of taxpayers across the country use the standard deduction, while high-income earners are more likely to itemize.\nFurthermore, the median family with two kids in NJ-03 makes $110,620. Under current law, this family pays $7,469.94.\u00a0 Under the House bill, they\u2019d pay $6,460.26 \u2013 a tax cut of $1,000. This doesn\u2019t even include the other benefits they may experience if they run or work at a small business, or if they work at a company that will now invest more in the New Jersey instead of overseas.\nHere are some other benefits of this bill:\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An increase in the child tax credit.\u00a0Over 48,000 families in my district currently claim the child tax credit. Under this legislation, each of these families would receive an additional $600 per child, plus more families would be eligible for this credit.\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The creation of a non-child dependent tax credit. This would provide families who are caring for an elderly parent with more money in their pocket.\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Giving small businesses the lowest tax rate since World War II, which will help Main Street businesses from Toms River to Willingboro.\n-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lower tax rates, which will enable our shared constituents to keep more of their hard-earned money.\nAs for the $10,000 property tax deduction, months ago some in my own party wanted to eliminate it entirely.\u00a0 Instead of bloviating in press releases and grandstanding at press conferences, I negotiated with The White House and House Leadership, and successfully restored the property tax deduction, which will benefit all New Jersey property owners to the tune of $3.6 billion per year.\nI find it interesting that you oppose my efforts, yet New Jersey has the same cap and I haven\u2019t heard any of you say a word about changing it.\u00a0\nMy district voted for Barack Obama in 2012, Donald Trump in 2016, and Kim Guadagno in 2017.\u00a0 Donald Trump won Ocean County by 90,000 votes, while Hillary Clinton won Burlington County.\u00a0 Despite its \u201cswing district\u201d status, I have won two races by double digit margins here because I consistently work across the aisle to fix the tough problems facing our nation. The Lugar Center ranked me among the top 15% most bipartisan Members of Congress, while Senators Menendez and Booker are found in the bottom third.\nSo, when Barack Obama had a plan in place to close military bases like Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which would have devastated our economy and military readiness, I stood up and won for South Jersey. When Donald Trump proposed major budget cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which would have hurt our efforts to combat addiction, I stood up and won for South Jersey.\nI invite you to come explain to the middle-class family in Toms River, who would see a $1,000 tax cut, why you believe the government deserves their money more than they do. You criticize Republicans for fear-mongering, divisiveness, and spreading mistruths, yet you are engaging in the same exact behavior as it relates to tax reform. It\u2019s not right when Republicans do it, and it\u2019s not right when you do it either.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nSincerely,\nTom MacArthur", 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://macarthur.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-macarthur-issues-challenge-murphy-menendez-booker"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4777819160372019, "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"}