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ICYMI: Trump Tax Law Is Back to Haunt House Republicans in Key Races | New York Times

“With Election Day less than 5 weeks away, House Republicans are feeling voters’ wrath in response their historically unpopular agenda on taxes and healthcare,” said DCCC Spokesperson Tyler Law. “Democratic candidates and the DCCC have presented a clear, unified message that Republicans gave a massive handout to the rich and large corporations at the expense of middle class Americans. Our ability to define the tax scam early has been devastatingly effective.”

WATCH THE DCCC’S LATEST TAX SCAM DIGITAL AD: “SIDE TABLE

Trump Tax Law Is Back to Haunt House Republicans in Key Races | New York Times
By Nick Corasaniti
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/nyregion/house-republicans-trump-tax-law-election.html

When President Trump’s tax law passed last year, Republicans in many high-tax districts faced a revolt over a key provision — a $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT.

The limit proved so toxic that it was a key reason 12 Republican members of the House of Representatives voted against the bill, including four of the five Republicans from New Jersey.

The furor over the tax law seemed to ebb, but last week the House voted to make the tax overhaul permanent, resurrecting a hot-button issue for Democrats in close races, particularly in wealthy suburbs.

And Republicans are suddenly having to reconcile their party’s position with the anger of many of their tax-weary constituents. Some Republicans are trying to neutralize the issue by saying that they support the tax law, but oppose the SALT cap.

Or they are declaring that in negotiating the law, they fought to ensure the deduction was not eliminated altogether.

“We embrace it, I’m running on it, and I think our party should be a party of pro-growth ideas, confidence and optimism,” said New Jersey Assemblyman Jay Webber, a Republican seeking a seat made available by a retiring Republican.

[…] In tight races in affluent suburbs that will help decide control of the House, some Republicans are frustrated that Democrats have been given a stronger hand, especially since the bill passed by the House has little chance of success in the Senate. To pass, the bill would need the support of 60 senators, a remote possibility given that Republicans have a bare majority.

“As Republicans, generally tax cuts are the one thing we can all agree on,” said Mike DuHaime, a Republican strategist in New Jersey. “I think the leadership in Washington has been misguided on this in terms of having this approach that hurts certain states — New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland. You have a lot of representatives in these states that are hurt by this.”

[…] Democrats have wasted no time seizing the opportunity.

In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, who is competing against Mr. Webber for the seat in the northern suburbs, took to social media and sent emails announcing that “Washington Republicans are seeking to punish New Jersey taxpayers.”

Tom Malinowski, a Democrat who is challenging Republican Representative Leonard Lance in the western part of New Jersey, weaves the tax issue into nearly every speech.

“Their top priority right now,” Mr. Malinowski said of the Republicans at a campaign stop where he was endorsed by the Amalgamated Transit Union, “is making the tax reform bill that they passed last year permanent. That’s their priority. None of them are talking about an infrastructure bill.”

In New York, Democrats looking to unseat the four House Republicans who supported the tax bill have renewed their criticism.

Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, who is running against Republican Representative Claudia Tenney, has accused Ms. Tenney on Twitter of hoping that the tax effort would “fly under the radar.”

Katie Hill, the Democrat challenging Representative Steve Knight in California, accused Mr. Knight of prioritizing the interests of leadership and donors rather than his constituents by voting “to cap deductions and raise our taxes.”

[…] At the New Jersey State Democratic Convention in Atlantic City last month, nearly every speaker, from Senator Robert Menendez to Josh Welle, who is challenging Representative Chris Smith in a conservative district, railed against making the tax overhaul permanent.

They cited a study by Representative Bill Pascrell, a Democrat, that calculated the average state and local tax deduction in every county and found that 20 of the state’s 21 counties have an average deduction of more than $10,000. The study was based on recent data from the Internal Revenue Service.

In Mr. Malinowski’s suburban New Jersey district, a recent Monmouth University poll found that just 34 percent of voters approved of the tax plan, while 49 percent disapproved. Nearly half said they expected their federal tax bill to increase under the new rules.

In Ms. Sherill’s district, one-third of the voters polled said the tax plan would be a major factor in their vote.

[…] Mr. Lance, the Republican incumbent facing Mr. Malinowski, was an early critic of the tax bill and called the effort to make it permanent an “exercise in futility.”

And Mr. Lance has many voters in his district who are unhappy about the tax bill.

Deirdre Gelinne, 58, who lives in Westfield, said she did not know the House voted to make the tax changes permanent until she heard Mr. Malinowski talk about it.

“People were not happy, and they’re not going to be happy about it being made permanent,” said Ms. Gelinne. “I didn’t realize they were trying to do it now. That is surprising to me, unless they’re trying to play to their base somewhere else that thinks this is great. I don’t think most people think it’s great, especially here.”





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