“Instead of working to find real solutions to the problems working Americans and their families face today, it is clear the Republican tax law only exacerbates current economic challenges in our country in more ways than one,” said Senator Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee. “We’ve known that wages are stagnant and economic inequality is growing, but the Republican tax law gives massive tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations without the raises that working Americans were promised. Now we also know that there are 15.4 million American jobs that are potentially at risk of being offshored, and this tax law may only compound this issue. We cannot continue to ignore these challenges in the American economy. It’s time to find smart, forward-thinking policies that ensure everyone in this country has a fair shot at getting ahead.”

Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee are releasing a new report Wednesday calculating the impact of the GOP tax bill on the national debt and warning that Republicans may attempt deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the Affordable Care Act’s market subsidies to plug the hole. A copy of the report was shared with POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein. Citing House Republicans’ 2019 budget resolution, which slashes hundreds of billions of dollars from social safety net programs over a decade, the JEC report estimates that each of the 130 million people who depend on those programs would lose an average of $1,500 per year in services and tax credits should the cuts take effect. The report breaks down the potential impact by state, finding that West Virginia, New Mexico and Arkansas would be among the hardest hit.

“Republicans continue to advance the same failed ideas from the past—cutting taxes for the wealthy while cutting key benefits for working Americans and seniors,” said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee. “In order to pay for a disastrous tax plan, Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have decided to endanger the health and financial security of 130 million Americans. Democrats stand ready to build on these successful programs while tackling the issues Americans care about, such as stagnant wages, skyrocketing health care premiums, and the rising cost of prescription drugs.”

“The economy has been adding jobs since the economic expansion that began in 2010, but it’s clear we still need to address the real economic challenges working Americans face in their day-to-day lives. But instead, my Republican colleagues and the Trump administration have decided their priorities lie in heaping windfall gains on the wealthiest Americans and special interests under the guise of supposed tax cuts for the middle class."