*By Justin Chermol*
According to House Ways and Means Committee Member Judy Chu, the GOP "made false claims" about the tax bill that passed in December of 2017 and is taking effect this tax season.
"They said things like the American public would get on the average a $4,000 per person increase. Well, that is certainly not the case. There are many Americans that will not have enough, and will actually pay more in taxes than what they originally thought," Chu, a California Democrat, told Cheddar.
As the first tax season impacted by the reform legislation got underway, many Americans were surprised by receiving smaller refunds than expected ーor by getting tax bills. In many cases, the difference was due to a change in IRS withholding tables that left more money in people's paychecks while shrinking the size of their refunds. In other cases, the actual tax bill increased due to changes to the law like a new cap on property and local income tax deductions.
Chu blames the confusion on the rushedー and secretive ー nature of the legislation.
"I think that the tax bill was done haphazardly, in the dead of night. In fact, it was done in 51 days, there were virtually no hearings on this, and people didn't have a chance to even really look at it before it was passed by Republicans," she said. "So as a result, it was not planned for properly."
In response, the #GOPTaxScam hashtag has resurfaced on social media platforms in recent weeks.
Chu said she is also hearing that outrage directly from constituents.
"I've had letters from my constituents saying that they have to pay $3,000 more on their taxes ー something that really upsets them and really hurts their budget," Chu told Cheddar.
Now that Democrats have gained control of the House, Chu said there are plans to revisit the legislation.
"We want to have hearings right away about the true impact of tax law," she said.
As fears of a national debt default rise, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he isn't ruling out a short-term bill to raise the debt ceiling. At the same time, he said he doesn't think "the responsible thing is to kick the can down the road."
The Biden administration is starting work on new regulations it says will expand the rights of airline passengers.
In a TV interview Sunday, Yellen didn't rule out President Joe Biden acting on his own to try to avert a first-ever federal default.
North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved and sent to the governor a ban on nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 20 weeks, in response to last year’s overturning of Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. A Republican megadonor paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, a lawyer who has represented Thomas and his wife acknowledged Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the far-right extremist group were convicted Thursday of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol.
Florida Republicans on Wednesday approved bills to ban diversity programs in colleges and prevent students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that don't correspond to someone's sex, building on top priorities of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
New York state is banning natural gas stoves and furnaces in most new buildings in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Authorities in the U.S. and Europe arrested nearly 300 people, confiscated over $53 million, and seized a dark web marketplace as part of an international crackdown on drug trafficking that officials say was the largest operation of its kind.
Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has stepped down shortly after apologizing for accepting a payment of $10,000 per month from a consultancy firm for a marijuana company.
