Schumer in Response to VP Pence’s Visit to Buffalo on Tuesday

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today released the following statement in response to Vice President Pence’s visit to Buffalo:

“When Vice President Pence arrives in Buffalo tomorrow, I hope he’s prepared to explain why he wants to hike taxes on thousands of middle-class families in the Buffalo area and across the country. It hurts the middle class; it hammers the New York economy; and it undermines property values. In the three districts in the Western New York area, nearly one-third of all taxpayers claim the state and local deduction - the average deduction was about $12,000 in 2015.

* prepared by the Government Finance Officers Association using 2015 IRS data

“Eliminating the state and local deduction, while slashing taxes for the wealthy and huge corporations, will hurt middle-class taxpayers, and various attempts at a ‘compromise’ are just as bad. If the Republicans cap the state and local deduction too high, they will still blow a huge hole in the deficit. Cap it too low, and they’ll continue socking it to the middle class. And forcing people to choose between the state and local deduction and other deductions is like offering to taxpayers to cut off one hand or the other.

“Vice President Pence and all of our Republican colleagues should drop the elimination of the state and local deduction, period. Western New Yorkers should ask them and President Trump to do so when they arrive tomorrow.”