{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400746", "Congressman Smiths Statement on the Tax Bill", "2017-11-13", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Smith\u2019s statement on H.R. 1, the tax bill under consideration in the House this week:\r\nWhile I believe Americans are overtaxed and need relief, I must vote \u201cno\u201d this week on the tax bill, H.R. 1, because of its negative impact on both my State and my congressional district.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nAlmost half \u2013 47% \u2012 of the taxpayers in my district itemize, claiming an average of $31,981 in deductions.  \r\n\r\nThe elimination \u2013 even modification \u2013 of the state and local tax deduction (SALT) will significantly increase taxes for many. That\u2019s unacceptable, and reason enough to oppose the legislation. Making matters worse are other provisions in the legislation that nullify or significantly scale back numerous well-crafted deductions including the medical deduction \u2013 utilized by 40,000 taxpayers in my district, largely the elderly and disabled, with an average deduction of $9,254 \u2013 as well as deductions for student loans, education, property damage, and mortgages, among others.", 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": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400746"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8977288380265236, "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"}