Emanuel Cleaver: Republicans laser-focused on passing tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy

(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)

As Missouri families continue to struggle with the cost of living, as well as the economic chaos created by the president's reckless tariff policies, my Republican colleagues are laser-focused on passing another round of tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans - paid for by slashing essential programs that working class Americans depend on like Medicaid SNAP, CHIP, and more. 

Earlier this month, House Republicans took another step in the process to redistribute trillions in wealth from working class Americans to the wealthiest among us by passing an extreme and highly partisan budget resolution.

Obviously, I voted against it.

According to estimates, the resolution would increase inflation, with the average American household's purchasing power over the next five years falling by $300-$1,250. That does not include the average loss of $3,800 for the average American due to the president's previously announced costly tariff plans.

The Treasury Department found that the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would give an average annual tax cut of $32,118 for those in the top 1 percent and an average annual tax cut of $314,266 for those in the top 0.1 percent. Nearly half the net benefit of extending the law would go to the top 5 percent of households, or those making more than $450,000 per year.

Meanwhile, working families will only receive a few hundred dollars in tax cuts a year while losing access to programs like Medicaid, SNAP, school meals, and more, as well as facing higher costs due to inflationary effects. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Republican budget previously passed by House Republicans would result in the largest Medicaid cuts in American history - which would be particularly devastating to Missouri.

Rather than pushing an extreme, partisan budget resolution that will take from the most vulnerable in our community and give to those in the top five percent, Congress should be focused on expanding tax cuts for working and middle class families, investing in healthcare and housing programs that will lower costs for Missourians, and ensuring the wealthiest among us pay their fair share. As Republicans continue to pursue more reckless trickle-down economics, I will do everything in my power to put a stop to these reverse Robin Hood policies.

Pushing Back Against More Voter Suppression Laws

Two weeks ago, under the guise of election security concerns that have been widely debunked, my colleagues across the aisle passed very troubling legislation to impose harsh voter identification requirements intended to disenfranchise eligible voters. The SAVE Act, or what would be more aptly named the Save Us from American Voters Act, will make it harder for women, military families, and minorities to make their voices heard in our democracy.

If enacted, the legislation would require Americans to present documentary proof of citizenship - such as a passport or specific birth certificates - to register to vote. Common forms of ID like driver's licenses, REAL IDs, military IDs, and tribal IDs would no longer be accepted, which would have devastating consequences and raise the cost to vote for millions of Americans. For example, women who changed their last name after marriage would have to navigate bureaucratic systems to get their name changed on their birth certificate or pay over $130+, wait weeks, and travel for a passport just to meet new voter registration requirements - which could strip nearly 70 million women, roughly 25% of the voting population, of their ability to register to vote simply because they changed their last name.

Additionally, this draconian legislation would subject state and local election officials to hefty criminal fines and up to five years in federal prison, and these criminal penalties would apply even if the election official registers an eligible American citizen.

We have already fought these battles. As a nation, we stood up to the poll tax, literacy tests, and other discriminatory practices that sought to silence certain voices at the ballot box. This voter suppression bill is a modern echo of those old tactics - dressed in new language, but rooted in the same intent: to make it harder for some Americans to vote. Our democracy is strongest when every eligible citizen has a fair and equal opportunity to make their voice heard, which is why I voted against the SAVE Act and will vote against any similar legislation that seeks to impose unnecessary barriers to voting.

Introducing Legislation to Raise the Wage

While C-suite executives and corporate CEOs have seen their pay continue to rise to astronomical levels, working class Americans have continued to get the short end of the stick, failing to receive fair compensation for the work they do to ensure these massive corporations grow their record-breaking profits. It's not right - and it's about time Congress took action to provide these hardworking Americans a fair pay raise, which will stimulate local economies nationwide.

That's why I introduced the Raise the Wage Act with Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, and 141 other House Democrats. Our legislation would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise. In Missouri, the average working family will have $1,228 more to spend per year in the local economy. Additionally, the Raise the Wage Act would index future increases in the federal minimum wage to median wage growth to ensure the value of minimum wage does not once again erode over time.

Find more information on my support for the Raise the Wage Act here.

Opposing President Trump's Cuts to Vital Services

As President Trump allows the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, to continue gutting services that our communities rely on - all to fund another tax break for billionaires like themselves - I want you to know that I'm teaming up with lawmakers in Congress to combat these reckless cuts and to call for the protection of essential programs. Here is a brief list:

This month, I joined Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) and 88 other House Democrats to call for the protection of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the rehiring of staffers who manage the program following their firing by the Trump Administration. Missouri Impacts: This program helps more than 130,000 Missouri households with the costs of heating and cooling their homes, saving an average of $1,533 per year.

I also teamed up with Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and 125 House Democrats to urge the President to forgo his effort to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (ILMS), which provides the main source of federal support for museums and libraries across the country. Missouri Impacts: Missouri received nearly $5 million in IMLS awards in 2024, including a $250,000 grant to the National World War I Museum and Memorial and $217,000 to Powell Gardens. Since the Trump Administration made public their attempt to eliminate funding for IMLS, the National World War I Museum and Memorial has announced it will have to freeze projects and put staff on leave, illustrating the impact these cuts are having on our community.

I led an effort with Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Brad Sherman (D-CA), along with 38 other House Democrats, condemning President Trump's executive order targeting the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), which is responsible for coordinating the federal response to homelessness. As housing prices and homelessness rise at a historic pace, I believe this action, along with other cuts to federal housing programs, will only exacerbate the nation's affordable housing crisis.
Late last month, as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, I also led a cohort of more than 100 lawmakers, along with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), in condemning staffing cuts and potential closures to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Field Offices across the country. In a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, my colleagues and I called on HUD to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who were illegally fired from the Department and condemned reports that HUD is considering the illegal closure of nearly two-thirds of field offices nationwide.

Hosting a Listening Session with Local Educators

Following President Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education - which I believe is illegal and will be litigated in federal courts - I hosted Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, in Kansas City to speak directly with local educators about the impact these cuts will have on our local schools.

Our educators, parents, and children deserve a government that invests in their success - not one that undermines their future. If the Trump Administration is allowed to dismantle the Department of Education, it would mean a funding cut for every student, including:

26 million kids across every school - rural, suburban, and urban - will lose access to critical funding to help them get ahead.

12 million students will lose access to career and technical education, including pathways to well-paying jobs through apprenticeship programs in trades or STEM

10 million students from low-income families could lose access to two- and four-year colleges due to costs

7.5 million students with Individualized Education Plans - accounting for 15 percent of all students nationally - will lose access to special education service funding.

I will not relent in the fight to strengthen and protect every child's right to a quality education, which is why I'm committed to defending the Department of Education and public education in our communities.

Find more information on my listening session with local educators here.