Weeks after releasing his tax plan that benefits corporations, the wealthiest Americans, and his special interest donors, Rep. Peter Roskam still has no defense for how it will hike taxes on working families in his district. In an interview with WGN, Roskam uses D.C. talking points to dodge a question about whether Chicagoland families will face a tax hike, which follows a pattern of Republicans not ensuring that middle class families won’t see their taxes go up under the embattled proposal.
Roskam, who serves as the Ways and Means Tax Policy Chairman, helped write the tax plan that eliminates the State and Local Tax Deduction, which has benefitted families in Chicagoland and specifically the sixth congressional district he represents. In 2016, 45 percent of Roskam’s constituents claimed nearly $5 billion in tax relief from the deduction. Under Roskam’s plan, the average family of four in his district would face an annual tax hike of $2,667.
“Chicagoland families don’t want D.C. talking points, they want to know why their Congressman is writing and defending a plan that is going to raise their federal taxes,” said DCCC spokesperson Jacob Peters. “They will remember that Roskam put his special interest donors and Speaker Paul Ryan’s agenda ahead of his own constituents’ paychecks. There is no ‘soft landing’ coming for Roskam’s tax plan or his seat in Congress.”