{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=9618D0C0-E7B7-48D2-81E0-4D31E0205BAB", "Heitkamp Statement on Vote Against Senate Republican Tax Reform Bill", "2017-12-02", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senator: \u201cWith this bill, Congress is handing our children a credit card bill with nearly $1.5 trillion of debt \u2013 and that\u2019s in the best-case scenario\u201d\u00a0\r\nNorth Dakotans will see an Average Tax Increase of almost $10,000 in 2027\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement explaining her vote against the Senate Republican tax reform bill that would add nearly $1.5 trillion to the country\u2019s debt.\r\n\u201cAs North Dakota\u2019s former tax commissioner, I\u2019ve been eager to work with Republicans and Democrats on tax reform to give hard working men and women a needed tax break,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cTax issues are important and complicated, and that\u2019s why Congress needed to work together, Republicans and Democrats, on tax reform. After holding listening sessions across North Dakota, having many discussions about tax reform with top White House officials including the president, and trying to change this bill so it supports working families, it\u2019s discouraging that Senate Republicans weren\u2019t willing to work with us on it. Instead, this bill was crafted at the last minute behind closed doors. And it shows \u2013 this bill is bad for North Dakota.\r\n\u201cWith this legislation, Congress is handing our children a credit card bill with nearly $1.5 trillion of debt \u2013 and that\u2019s in the best-case scenario. We need to have an honest conversation about what that means for us long-term. Now, we won\u2019t be able to spend that money on finding a cure for Alzheimer\u2019s and cancer, addressing the opioid epidemic, fixing the country\u2019s pension crisis, boosting national security, rebuilding degraded infrastructure, supporting agriculture research, or providing disaster assistance. All that money will have been spent on tax reform.\r\n\u201cAdditionally, this bill tries to buy off middle income families for almost nothing, while the wealthy get richer at their expense. In North Dakota, the top one percent \u2013 those making over $604,800 \u2013 will see an average tax cut of $46,870. The president and most members of Congress will benefit from this bill. Meanwhile, North Dakotans making under $75,220 \u2013 60 percent of those in our state -- will get an average tax cut of just a few hundred dollars. Look at that disparity \u2013 there\u2019s nothing fair about it. Then, in 2027, on average, North Dakotans will see a tax increase of almost $10,000. On the other hand, if these tax cuts were given out evenly across the board rather than disproportionately to the wealthy, every American would get a $9,000 tax cut, but that isn\u2019t what is happening.\r\n\u201cI wanted to be able to support a responsible, permanent tax reform bill that stands up for workers, families, and retirees while staying fiscally responsible. I wanted to help write it. But this bill gives large corporations a permanent tax cut, while the tax cuts for working families expire in a few years. It could hurt North Dakota seniors by cutting $400 billion from Medicare. It puts farm programs and the Farm Bill at risk. It makes it more difficult for young families to buy homes. It will be harder for students to afford a college education. It makes it more complicated for small businesses to file taxes. It will take health care away from 13 million families. Teachers won\u2019t be able to buy the school supplies they need. Nonprofit organizations will receive fewer donations to operate and help struggling families. The bill could force cuts for federal oil, gas, and coal payments to North Dakota by $40 million per year. And all the top academics \u2013 Republicans and Democrats \u2013 say it won\u2019t grow the economy or create jobs in the way Republicans say it will.\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s up to Congress to set a responsible path forward for our country. This bill is bad business and it\u2019s about a political win, but the detrimental impacts of it will be felt across North Dakota and the country. Every day when I come to work in the U.S. Senate, I\u2019m fighting for families across rural America \u2013 the workers, parents, retirees, and children -- who are counting on us to stand up for them and do the right thing for them. But under this bill, they will lose, and that\u2019s why I can\u2019t vote for it.\u201d\r\n###", 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://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=9618D0C0-E7B7-48D2-81E0-4D31E0205BAB"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6505320090800524, "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"}