The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation joins many in Minnesota’s nonprofit community, a sector that employs nearly 12 percent of Minnesota’s workforce and partners with millions, in opposition to the federal tax bill because of buried provisions that will harm the most vulnerable among us in society – children, retirees, people with disabilities, workers, and families. The tax cuts would add more than $1 trillion to the deficit, and to pay for it, policymakers have clear plans to come back and deeply cut health care and other critical services.
With trillions of dollars over the next decade at risk, the tax bill under consideration and the budget resolution passed earlier this fall carry vast negative consequences that would affect millions of Minnesotans well into the future. Provisions in this bill run counter to what we see as necessary for young families and vulnerable populations to survive and thrive across the generations. We urge Congressional representatives to oppose the tax bill.
Two primary components that would have a negative impact on low-income people in the east metro and the essential role of nonprofit organizations in civil society:
- Health care: The Congressional Budget Office analysis forecasts 13 million fewer Americans will receive health coverage if the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act is repealed. This includes 5 million fewer people enrolled in Medicaid, with an estimated 12,500 fewer people enrolled in the east metro.
- Repeal of the Johnson Amendment: This would allow nonprofit organizations to endorse or oppose candidates for public office and make anonymous political donations tax deductible when funneled through 501(c)(3)s. To protect the nonpartisan role of nonprofits, we oppose repeal of the Johnson Amendment.
