ACTION Alert: Continued Advocacy Needed on Tax Package
The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (H.R. 7024), which contains two AHCIA-inspired Housing Credit priorities, remains stalled in the Senate after having passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly on January 31 by a 357-70 vote, with strong bipartisan support. The Senate lead tax-writers – Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) – have not been able to reach a deal yet. Despite these challenges, there is still a narrow path forward, and supporters of the bill, including affordable housing stakeholders, need to keep up the pressure.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a staunch supporter of the tax package – especially because of its Housing Credit provisions – sent a letter to the Senate Democrats as Congress returned from its Easter Recess last week indicating that there is still a chance to make progress on the bill “in the weeks and months ahead.” The letter outlined the busy agenda the Senate faces in the coming weeks. Last Tuesday, Schumer suggested to reporters that the tax package still does not have enough votes to pass the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster, but added that efforts continue on the goal of getting there.
We need ACTION members to reach out and urge your Senators to:
- Support these critical Housing Credit resources, and
- Express their support to Majority Leader Schumer or Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), encouraging them to take action on the bill.
We know we’ve asked before, but please keep up the pressure. If lawmakers stop hearing from their constituents, they will move on to other things. The only way to make this happen is to continue our work.
To assist advocates, ACTION created a webpage with links to templates and other materials to help with your outreach. ACTION recently published a new fact sheet on the Housing Credit provisions in the tax package. Be sure to share the new support letter and the endorsement of the tax package by the National Governors Association with your Senators. If you have any questions or need help with contact information for your Senators, please don’t hesitate to email us.
