Schumer And Wyden Push For Expedited Congressional Review Act Ruling On President Trump’s Mandated Agency Action Threatening Social Security

Washington, D.C. — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) today released the following statement calling for expedited Congressional Review Act ruling by the GAO on the Trump administration’s agency action that would saddle lower to middle-income Americans with a tax bill they would need to repay and that would threaten Social Security. Senators Schumer and Wyden sent a letter to U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting an expedited ruling from the GAO:

“President Trump’s plan at best gives no help to workers and at worst saddles lower to middle-income Americans with a tax bill the Treasury Department has said will have to be repaid by April next year. Now, after private employers across the country have refused to go along with the Trump plan, calling it unworkable, the administration is forcing hardworking federal employees to take on a huge tax debt starting in 2021 that many can’t afford. The Trump administration’s Payroll Tax plan will also bankrupt Social Security and endanger the retirements of millions of Americans, as the President himself says he intends to ‘make permanent cuts to the payroll tax’ if re-elected.

“We believe that the Congress has a responsibility to review this agency action immediately and therefore, we are calling on the GAO to conduct an expedited review of the actions taken by the Treasury Department to determine whether the guidance that was issued is subject to the Congressional Review Act. This Treasury Department action implementing the President’s payroll tax deferral will only shoulder Americans, including federal workers, with an unfair tax bill later on. We believe this action taken by the Trump administration's Treasury Department qualifies as an agency action subject to the CRA and we are making the formal request of GAO to expeditiously rule on this matter. This expedited review and determination by GAO is critical and will allow us to move forward with the CRA process and ultimately protect lower and middle-income Americans’ hard-earned wages and retirees’ Social Security benefits from Trump's plan and we hope every Senator will support this effort.”

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