On the recordDecember 19, 2019
I want to thank the chairman for recognizing me. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5377, the Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act. This legislation seeks to fix one of the most harmful provisions of the 2017 Republican tax law: the $10,000 limit on the State and local tax deduction. Raising this unfair, punishing cap is a top priority for the constituents I represent. Forcing Americans to pay Federal tax on the taxes they have already paid to their State and local government is double taxation and it is wrong. In my Illinois district, approximately 42 percent of filers use the SALT deduction, and the average deduction is significantly higher, nearly double the new cap. Even worse, the new $10,000 cap applies equally to married and single filers, creating a marriage penalty, further punishing joint filers. This is not fair to America's middle class. It is wrong that the burden of the tax law that overwhelmingly benefits the most fortunate Americans--indeed, 83 percent of the benefit of the 2017 law went to the top 1 percent--it is unfair that the burden should lie in a narrow range of States like Illinois. H.R. 5377 would rectify these wrongs. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
