April 10, 2019

Duckworth, Durbin, Senate Democrats Unveil Legislation to Cut Taxes for Workers & Families

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Ahead of tax day and the IRS Commissioner’s annual appearance before the Senate and House today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) helped lead Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) to lead 44 Senators – including Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) – in introducing the Working Families Tax Relief Act. At a time when wages are stagnant and the cost of childcare has exploded, the Working Families Tax Relief Act would cut taxes for workers and families by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). EITC and CTC are two of the most effective tools we have to put money in the pockets of working people and pull children out of poverty. Expanding them will give millions more Americans a foothold in the middle class. In Illinois, the Working Families Tax Relief Act would boost the incomes of 1.7 million households, 4.3 million people, and 1.8 million children.

“Every American deserves the chance to get ahead, and commonsense legislation like Senator Brown and Senator Durbin’s Working Families Tax Relief Act will help make that a reality,” said Duckworth. “By making more Americans eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and improving access to the EITC and Child Tax Credit for millions more, our legislation will help provide much-needed financial boost during tax season, which will support hardworking families and strengthen our economy as a whole.”

“We need to give families more tools to help make ends meet and make it easier for them to care for their children—and the Working Families Tax Relief Act would do exactly that,” Durbin said. “The Trump tax scam was a handout to billionaires and corporations. My colleagues and I are committed to making sure our tax system is fair to the millions of families who were left behind.”

Meanwhile, Americans are filing their taxes and more people are seeing President Trump’s and the Congressional Republicans’ tax scam for what it really was – a handout to millionaires and billionaires at the expense of working families. The Working Families Tax Relief Act would cut taxes for workers and families left behind by the President’s tax law.

The Working Families Tax Relief Act would:

Boost the incomes of 46 million households and 114 million people, including 43 million children.

Lift seven million people out of poverty, including three million children.

Expand the EITC for families with children by roughly 25 percent.

Significantly expand the EITC for workers without children and make the credit available for people starting at age 19 up to age 67. Currently, workers without children can be pulled under the poverty line by taxes. Expanding the EITC would fix that.

Make the CTC fully refundable, so the more than 26 million children who were left out of the Trump tax law get the support they deserve.

Create a Young Child Tax Credit to provide extra support to children five and under, when research says they need it most.

Allow workers to draw a $500 advance payment on their EITC so that families aren’t forced to turn to predatory payday lenders when the car breaks down or other unexpected expenses come up.

Along with Duckworth, Brown, Bennet, Wyden, and Durbin, cosponsors of the bill include: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Tom Carper (D-DE), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bob Menendez (NJ), Benjamin Cardin (MD) Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Bob Casey (D- PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (MN), Doug Jones (AL) and Jacky Rosen (NV).