Durbin, Duckworth to Roskam, Shimkus: put middle-income Illinoisans ahead of large corporations as tax bill conferees

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged U.S. Representatives Peter Roskam (R-IL-06) and John Shimkus (R-IL-15) – the two members representing Illinois selected to serve on the conference committee tasked with resolving differences between the House and Senate versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – to reconsider their support for the harmful policies contained in the House version of the Republican Tax Plan and to use their roles as conferee to advocate for positive changes to the bill that would provide much needed relief for middle-income Illinoisans instead of prioritizing the needs of large corporations and the wealthy one-percent over those of working families, students, and veterans in our state and across the country.

“As you consider your responsibilities as a conferee, we encourage you to reconsider your support for the harmful policies contained in the House Republican plan and urge you to use your role as conferee to stand up for the middle-income families in Illinois and across the country who would be harmed if the policies outlined in the House and Senate bills become law,” wrote Durbin and Duckworth in letters to Reps. Roskam and Shimkus.

Both the House and Senate Republican tax plans would fund tax cuts for the largest corporations and wealthiest one-percent by raising taxes on millions of middle-income households nationwide, eliminating vital deductions used by working families, and jeopardizing funding for vital programs for low-and middle-income Illinoisans by adding more than $1.4 trillion to the national deficit.

Three weeks ago, Durbin and Duckworth pressed the Republican members of the Illinois congressional delegation to reconsider their support for the House Republican tax plan and the harmful policies within the bill.

Last month, Durbin and Duckworth sent Gov. Rauner a letter outlining their concerns with one of the central components of the Republican tax plans, the elimination of the state and local tax deduction, and requested his feedback on how eliminating the deduction would impact Illinois families and Illinois’ economy. That letter has gone unanswered.

Full text of the letter to Rep. Roskam is available here. Full text of the letter to Rep. Shimkus is available here.

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