Letter to the Hon. Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of the House - Don't Count on Us to Fix the PAYGO Problem You've Created with the GOP's Tax Bill

Letter

By: Raul Grijalva, John Garamendi, Ami Bera, Nancy Pelosi, Eric Swalwell, Anna Eshoo, Salud Carbajal, Adam Schiff, Pete Aguilar, Jimmy Gomez, Karen Bass, Mark Takano, Lou Correa, Scott Peters, Jared Polis, Joe Courtney, Elizabeth Esty, Al Lawson, Jr., Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Sanford Bishop, Jr., David Scott, Tulsi Gabbard, Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky, Cheri Bustos, John Yarmuth, Jim McGovern, Katherine Clark, Stephen Lynch, John Sarbanes, Elijah Cummings, Dan Kildee, Brenda Lawrence, Keith Ellison, Emanuel Cleaver II, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Carol Shea-Porter, Frank Pallone, Jr., Don Payne, Jr., Ben Luján, Jr., Ruben Kihuen, Gregory Meeks, Hakeem Jeffries, Carolyn Maloney, José Serrano, Sean Maloney, Brian Higgins, Tim Ryan, Kurt Schrader, Brendan Boyle, David Cicilline, Jim Cooper, Vicente Gonzalez, Joaquin Castro, Marc Veasey, Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Suzan DelBene, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Steny Hoyer, Terri Sewell, Ruben Gallego, Mike Thompson, Jerry McNerney, Barbara Lee, Jim Costa, Zoe Lofgren, Julia Brownley, Tony Cárdenas, Grace Napolitano, Norma Torres, Linda Sánchez, Maxine Waters, Alan Lowenthal, Susan Davis, Ed Perlmutter, Rosa DeLauro, Eleanor Norton, Darren Soto, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Hank Johnson, Jr., Madeleine Bordallo, Dave Loebsack, Dan Lipinski, Danny Davis, Brad Schneider, Pete Visclosky, Cedric Richmond, Niki Tsongas, Seth Moulton, Bill Keating, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin, Sandy Levin, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Kilili Sablan, David Price, Annie Kuster, Albio Sires, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Dina Titus, Thomas Suozzi, Grace Meng, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Eliot Engel, Paul Tonko, Joyce Beatty, Suzanne Bonamici, Bob Brady, Mike Doyle, Jr., Jim Langevin, Steve Cohen, Beto O'Rourke, Gene Green, Filemon Vela, Jr., Donald McEachin, Stacey Plaskett, Rick Larsen, Adam Smith, Ron Kind, Tom O'Halleran, Jared Huffman, Doris Matsui, Mark DeSaulnier, Jackie Speier, Ro Khanna, Jimmy Panetta, Judy Chu, Brad Sherman, Ted Lieu, Raul Ruiz, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Nanette Barragán, Juan Vargas, Diana DeGette, John Larson, Jim Himes, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Val Demings, Lois Frankel, Frederica Wilson, John Lewis, Colleen Hanabusa, Bobby Rush, Luis Gutiérrez, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bill Foster, André Carson, Richard Neal, Joe Kennedy III, Mike Capuano, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Delaney, Chellie Pingree, Debbie Dingell, Betty McCollum, Lacy Clay, Jr., Bennie Thompson, Alma Adams, Donald Norcross, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jacky Rosen, Kathleen Rice, Nydia Velázquez, Jerry Nadler, Joe Crowley, Nita Lowey, Louise Slaughter, Marcy Kaptur, Peter DeFazio, Dwight Evans, Matt Cartwright, Jim Clyburn, Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie Johnson, Lloyd Doggett II, Don Beyer, Jr., Peter Welch, Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck, Gwen Moore
Date: Dec. 15, 2017
Location: Washington, DC

Dear Speaker Ryan:

The irresponsible tax cuts you are pursuing will explode the federal deficit, violating the principle, enshrined in the 2010 Statutory PAYGO law, that tax cuts should be paid for. Under that law, your unpaid-for tax cuts, if enacted, will trigger automatic, across-the board cuts to Medicare, the farm safety net, and other programs. Given the lack of bipartisanship to date in your effort to provide massive tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of the middle class while adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit, it will be your responsibility to deal with these consequences.

With that in mind, we read with interest your recent joint statement with the Senate Majority Leader suggesting that these required across-the-board cuts "will not happen." These cuts would be a direct consequence of your massive $1.5 trillion deficit increase from tax cuts for the wealthy, so it is confusing to hear that you and Leader McConnell "will work to ensure these spending cuts are prevented." We are curious how you plan to do that, as the obvious solution would be not to pass those tax cuts in the first place.

In addition to the looming $25 billion Medicare cut next month, enacting your tax bill will result in widespread chaos to the health insurance market. The Senate bill's elimination of the individual mandate, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will increase premiums and 13 million Americans will lose their health insurance coverage. Likewise, seniors and those preparing for retirement are rightly nervous that your recent pronouncement that "we're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit" means that cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits are the necessary next step to pay for the added deficits your tax cuts would produce.

Overwhelming uncertainty looms over our entire health care system and throughout our economy as a result of these developments. Should you enact a tax bill by the end of the year that adds $1.5 trillion to the deficit and, as a result, triggers PAYGO cuts next month, any effort to mitigate those cuts must also remove these other catalysts of uncertainty. At a minimum, that must include rejecting the elimination of the individual mandate as well as the use of reconciliation procedures next year for Medicare benefit cuts in order to fill the fiscal gap left by your tax bill.

We will not be complicit in any effort to undermine access to affordable coverage or increase costs for millions of Americans, just as we will continue our strenuous opposition to your reckless tax proposals.

Sincerely,

STENY H. HOYER
House Democratic Whip

NANCY PELOSI
House Democratic Leader

JAMES CLYBURN
Assistant Democratic Leader

JOE CROWLEY
Chair
House Democratic Caucus

LINDA SANCHEZ
Vice Chair
House Democratic Caucus

RICHARD NEAL
Ranking Member
Committee on Ways and Means

FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce

JOHN YARMUTH
Ranking Member
Committee on the Budget

Alma Adams
Pete Aguilar
Nanette Barragan
Karen Bass
Joyce Beatty
Ami Bera
Donald S. Beyer Jr.
Sanford Bishop
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Suzanne Bonamici
Madeleine Bordallo
Brendan Boyle
Robert Brady
Anthony Brown
Julia Brownley
Cheri Bustos
G. K. Butterfield
Michael Capuano
Salud Carbajal
Tony Cardenas
Andre Carson
Matt Cartwright
Kathy Castor
Joaquin Castro
Judy Chu
David Cicilline
Katherine Clark
Yvette Clarke
Wm. Lacy Clay
Emanuel Cleaver
Steve Cohen
Gerry Connolly
Jim Cooper
Lou Correa
Jim Costa
Joe Courtney
Elijah Cummings
Danny Davis
Susan Davis
Peter DeFazio
Diana DeGette
John Delaney
Rosa DeLauro
Suzan DelBene
Val Demings
Mark DeSaulnier
Ted Deutch
Debbie Dingell
Lloyd Doggett
Michael Doyle
Keith Ellison
Eliot Engel
Anna Eshoo
Adriano Espaillat
Elizabeth Esty
Dwight Evans
Bill Foster
Lois Frankel
Tulsi Gabbard
Ruben Gallego
John Garamendi
Jimmy Gomez
Vicente Gonzalez
Gene Green
Al Green
Raul Grijalva
Luis V. Gutierrez
Colleen Hanabusa
Alcee Hastings
Denny Heck
Brian Higgins
Jim Himes
Jared Huffman
Sheila Jackson Lee
Pramila Jayapal
Hakeem Jeffries
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Hank Johnson
Marcy Kaptur
William Keating
Robin L. Kelly
Joe Kennedy III
Ro Khanna
Ruben Kihuen
Dan Kildee
Derek Kilmer
Ron Kind
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Annie Kuster
James Langevin
Rick Larsen
John Larson
Brenda Lawrence
Al Lawson
Barbara Lee
Sander Levin
John Lewis
Ted Lieu
Dan Lipinski
Dave Loebsack
Zoe Lofgren
Alan Lowenthal
Nita Lowey
Ben Ray Lujan
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Stephen Lynch
Carolyn Maloney
Sean Patrick Maloney
Doris Matsui
Betty McCollum
Donald McEachin
James McGovern
Jerry McNerney
Gregory Meeks
Grace Meng
Gwen Moore
Seth Moulton
Jerrold Nadler
Grace Napolitano
Rick Nolan
Donald Norcross
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Tom O'Halleran
Beto O'Rourke
Jimmy Panetta
Bill Pascrell
Donald Payne
Ed Perlmutter
Scott Peters
Chellie Pingree
Stacey Plaskett
Mark Pocan
Jared Polis
David Price
Mike Quigley
Jamie Raskin
Kathleen Rice
Cedric Richmond
Jacky Rosen
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Raul Ruiz
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Bobby Rush
Timothy Ryan
Gregorio Sablan
John Sarbanes
Janice Schakowsky
Adam Schiff
Brad Schneider
Kurt Schrader
David Scott
Robert Scott
Jose Serrano
Terri Sewell
Carol Shea-Porter
Brad Sherman
Albio Sires
Louise McIntosh Slaughter
Adam Smith
Darren Soto
Jackie Speier
Tom Suozzi
Eric Swalwell
Mark Takano
Mike Thompson
Bennie Thompson
Dina Titus
Paul Tonko
Norma Torres
Niki Tsongas
Juan Vargas
Marc Veasey
Filemon Vela
Nydia Velazquez
Peter Visclosky
Tim Walz
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Maxine Waters
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Peter Welch
Frederica Wilson


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