Van Hollen Offers Budget Amendments to Protect Working Families

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, is offering two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2020 Senate Republican budget resolution aimed at protecting working families from higher taxes and rising prescription drug costs during today’s markup.

“Budgets are not just a list of numbers, they are statements of our priorities. And this Republican budget – on the heels of President Trump’s proposal – couldn’t be worse for American families,” said Senator Van Hollen. “First, the Trump Tax Plan gave millionaires and corporations a windfall break and asked everyone else to pick up the tab. Just this week, Republicans renewed their attacks on our health care system. And now, Senate Republicans want to balance their budget on the backs of kids, families, and seniors. That’s simply unacceptable.”

Senator Van Hollen is offering two amendments:

• The Middle Class Tax Cut Amendment would create a mechanism to return the estate tax to the level prior to the Republican tax giveaway – which exempts estates worth up to $22 million – and use that revenue to reduce taxes for families making under $200,000 who saw an increase from the Republican tax bill.

• The Prescription Drugs Amendment would create a mechanism to pass legislation to improve access to, and affordability of, prescription drugs for all Americans, hold the health care industry accountable for the prices that consumers and federal programs pay for critical medications, and address issues that artificially increase the costs of drugs, such as price gouging and pay-for-delay.

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