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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement today on the Protecting Against Tax Hikes (PATH) Act. 

“For too long, Americans of all walks of life have faced uncertainty about whether they would be able to receive important tax benefits that had been scheduled to expire. These benefits, like the earned income tax credit for low-income earners, the child tax credit for families, the American Opportunity Tax Credit for college students, the research and development tax credit for businesses, and enhanced deductions for charitable givers all provide critical financial support and incentives to deserving Americans.  

“When we considered budget resolutions for FY16, Democrats and Republicans all agreed that these critical provisions should be extended, and we agreed any extension should be fully paid for as part of a tax reform package. Every budget proposal – from the conservative Republican Study Committee budget to the liberal Progressive Caucus budget – assumed these provisions would be offset.  

“Unfortunately, this bill does not pay for the cost of making the tax cuts permanent. It violates the fundamental principal that we must pay for the cost of permanent tax changes, and as a result, it would add $622 billion to our nation’s debt.  

“As a Budget Committee member, I take seriously our commitment to being good stewards of our nation’s finances. While we should make permanent most of the expiring provisions, especially the ones mentioned above, we shouldn’t do it at a price of $622 billion that is not paid for.

“Reducing revenue levels to historic lows risks future cuts to critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. While this bill may be providing critical tax incentives for important causes – like encouraging scientific research – the debt we will incur to finance these tax breaks will eventually force us to make spending cuts that will hurt non-defense discretionary spending, which includes funding for job training programs, scientific research, Head Start, and countless other critical programs; programs that are already funded at the lowest level since 1962. We cannot risk further cuts to these programs.  

“Americans should have the certainty to plan their household budgets, business expenditures, and charitable giving. But, there is also a need to pay for the cost of this tax package. The bill today violates the budget principles nearly all of us agreed to just months ago, and therefore I could not support it. We need to have a real debate on tax reform and on how to responsibly make permanent these worthy provisions for working families, students, businesses, and donors.”