The Chattanooga doctor running for the 3rd District congressional seat says incumbent Chuck Fleischmann and his Republican colleagues are "throwing ... Tennesseans under the bus" by voting for partisan tax reform in the House and Senate.
Dr. Danielle Mitchell, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the August 2018 primary election, said in a news release the tax bill "clearly intends to execute what is being called the largest transfer of wealth to the richest Americans in U.S. history" and will create a budget deficit of almost $1.5 trillion.
Mitchell, a board-certified primary care and sports medicine physician, urged 3rd District residents to contact their federal lawmakers to oppose a bill she said paves the way for "massive cuts to vital services like Medicare and Social Security."
In the release, Mitchell said, "In the days after Chuck Fleischmann, the House and the Senate desperately went after a "win" effectively throwing millions of hard-working middle class and vulnerable Tennesseans under the bus, the next move is for the House and the Senate to debate the Tax Bill and try to reconcile the differences in the two versions of this disastrous bill. ...
"This tax bill is estimated to create an additional budget deficit of almost 1.5 trillion dollars. How are we going to pay for it? Mark my words: cuts to Medicare and Social Security are going to happen and the ball is already rolling in Congress to make this a reality. ... There are many other cuts that are slated to happen as well that will significantly impact the middle class. ... So many Tennesseans will be negatively impacted by this awful and selfish piece of legislation that penalizes the hardest working segment of our community."
Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for Fleischmann's Washington office said she would forward the message to the congressman's re-election campaign, which did not respond Monday.
Fleischmann is seeking re-election to his fifth term in the district that includes Anderson, Hamilton, McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Roane, Scott, and Union counties and parts of Bradley and Campbell counties.
The Ballotpedia website rates the 3rd District as safe Republican, and notes that Fleischmann reported $918,127 cash on hand as of Sept. 30, compared with $24,479 for Mitchell.
After voting for the House version of the tax reform bill, Fleischmann released a statement on Nov. 16 calling it "historic legislation to reform the American tax code."
The congressman praised the "long overdue and sorely needed tax reform legislation which will lead to families in Tennessee keeping more of their hard earned paychecks."
He said the typical middle-income family in Tennessee will get up to a $1,951 increase in income, and that the child tax credit will be raised from $1,000 to $1,600.
"As a father of three, I know that raising a family can be expensive, and it is time we have a tax code that works with, not against, families," Fleischmann said in the November statement.
He also said lowering federal tax rates on business "will create thousands of jobs and make America more competitive on a global scale. That means more Tennesseans at work and a more prosperous Volunteer State."