"Asks middle-class families to foot the bill for massive tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations"

(Washington, DC) – Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, released the following statement after voting no on the final version of the Republican tax bill:

“This tax bill asks middle-class families to foot the bill for massive tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations—that’s just unacceptable.  Further, adding $1.5 trillion to the national debt to pay for these tax cuts will undermine our ability to address real challenges facing the middle class and small businesses. 

"This could have been a bipartisan tax bill that provides significant relief to those who need it most, but that’s not what Republican leadership chose to do. 

"Instead, this bill doesn’t remotely resemble real tax reform and is an enormous missed opportunity.  It does virtually nothing to simplify the tax code, which is the top concern I hear from New Hampshire small businesses.  Going forward, Congress must do better and allow the public into the legislative process, particularly for legislation that touches the lives of all Americans.”