Op-Ed
Michigan Dems Chair Calls Out Republicans for Raising Costs on Working Michiganders
LANSING, Mich. — As millions of Americans and Michiganders file their taxes, Republicans are pursuing an agenda to raise costs on working families while giving their billionaire buddies a break.
“Since day one, Donald Trump has made it crystal clear that his priority never has and never will be helping working families,” said Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Curtis Hertel. “If your net worth doesn’t have ‘billion’ in it, Trump and Michigan Republicans are more than happy to hang you out to dry.
“Today, too many middle-class Americans are going to be footing the bill for Donald Trump’s dangerous, extremist agenda. In stark contrast, Michigan Dems quadrupled the Working Families Tax Credit last year — putting money back into the pockets of middle-class Michigan families. No matter what Trump tries to do, Michigan Democrats at every level will continue to fight for the middle class and the hard-working families that Republicans have forgotten.”
- press release Michigan Democratic Party
Slotkin, Colleagues Warn About Raising Food Costs to Give Tax Breaks to Billionaires
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) joined her Democratic colleagues in sending an open letter to the American public warning that Congressional Republicans are trying to take food away from hungry families to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
“Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by taking away food assistance from millions of Americans,” wrote the Senators.
“SNAP supports 42 million Americans, including nearly 8 million seniors, 16 million children, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans, in putting food on their tables each month. Cuts of this magnitude—or anything close to it—would be devastating to American families in every state.”
An open letter to the public:
The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are planning to give another round of tax handouts to the ultra-wealthy and corporations paid for by gutting the food assistance that helps American families pay for groceries at a time when they are struggling to afford food, health care, housing, and other household basic needs. If enacted, cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have severe consequences for millions of veterans, seniors, children, and hard-working farmers.
We write to make our position on this legislation perfectly clear: Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by taking away food assistance from millions of Americans.
Earlier this year, both the House and the Senate passed budget bills that pave the way for deep cuts to SNAP. The House budget bill would require at least $230 billion in cuts. The Senate bill sets a floor of $1 billion in cuts with nothing to prevent it from going as high as the House bill. This would be a more than 20 percent cut to a program that helps millions of struggling families afford groceries.
SNAP supports 42 million Americans, including nearly 8 million seniors, 16 million children, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans, in putting food on their tables each month. Cuts of this magnitude—or anything close to it—would be devastating to American families in every state. SNAP benefits currently average only $6.20 per person per day. At a time when people across the country are struggling with the high cost of groceries, a cut of this magnitude could result in an immediate increase in food costs, dropping the annual, per person SNAP benefit by over $500 per year per person.
Congressional Republicans might claim that their plan is to merely require states to pay for a portion of food benefits for the first time. In truth, such an unprecedented cost shift could force states to cut benefits, severely restrict program eligibility, or both. If combined with a similar Medicaid cost shift, these unfunded mandates could decimate state budgets and cut healthcare and food assistance for millions of Americans.
Taking away SNAP would also hurt the farmers who grow our food, the manufacturers that package it, truckers who distribute it, and small businesses in our communities that sell it. Each SNAP dollar stimulates the economy: every $1.00 in food assistance provided by the program in a weak economy generates an additional $1.50 in economic activity.3 Because adequate nutrition is so important for children’s health and development, the long-term return on investment is even greater: every $1.00 invested in SNAP for children returns $62 in value.4 In 2020 alone, SNAP supported 200,000 grocery industry jobs and created nearly 45,000 new jobs in supporting industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and municipal services.
Republicans are writing the most consequential tax and budget legislation in decades entirely behind closed doors. That’s because Trump and Congressional Republicans must hide the ugly truth—their legislation feeds corporate and wealthy individuals’ greed by taking food assistance away for tens of millions of Americans. You, your family, and your neighbors deserve far better.
- press release office of Elissa Slotkin