Gottheimer Votes Against Tax Reform Bill

WYCKOFF, NJ — Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5th) has voted against the controversial tax reform bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as it is formally called, passed the U.S. House of Representatives 227 to 205, C-SPAN reported. All but 13 Republican representatives voted in favor of the legislation. Every Democrat, including Gottheimer, say for two voted against it.

"Every New Jersey taxpayer should be furious that this bill passed, today," Gottheimer, a first-term congressman from Wyckoff, said in a statement released shortly after the House voted. "I do not know how to ring the bell any louder on this six-alarm fire tax hike bill."

The bill proposes axing the state and local tax deduction (SALT). Some experts said that cutting the SALT deduction would cost the average New Jersey resident thousands of dollars a year.

The 10-year budget plan also calls for $5 trillion in spending cuts over the decade, including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and the Obama-era health care law, though Republicans have no plans to actually impose those cuts with follow-up legislation. Some Democrats criticized the measure for ruthless spending cuts; others took the opposite approach, failing it for tackling the deficit.

"My office has done the math. If you’re a cop and a teacher in Paramus, own your home and donate to your local church, your taxes will likely go up about $5,500. If you’re a widowed senior living in Allendale and your pension and Social Security pay $75,000 a year — but have expenses like supplemental health plans and prescription drugs — your taxes will likely go up $1,500 a year. Your home’s value will go down."

Rep. Tom MacArthur was the only New Jersey congressional representative to vote in favor of the bill, calling it "real relief for families and businesses."

Gottheimer said the bill blows a $1.5 trillion hole in the national deficit.

"It's why the police, firefighters, teachers, accountants and others groups are all opposing," Gottheimer said. "It's why every Democrat and all but one Republican in New Jersey voted against this [bill.]"

RELATED: Rep. Frelinghuysen Votes Against Tax Reform Bill

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Photo: Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5th)/Official congressional photo