Trump, GOP are harming families

Vice President Mike Pence came to Chicagoland claiming President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress - including Peter Roskam - were delivering for Illinois. But the reality is just the opposite.

The GOP has served the interests of the wealthy at the expense of working families.

Pence cited the tax law Republicans rammed through Congress late last year with Rep. Roskam's support and not a single Democratic vote. In Illinois, the top 1 percent are getting over a quarter of the state's total tax cut and a $60,000 tax cut each year on average.

As of last month, only 14 of the state's quarter million employers announced any employee payout tied to the tax law - and nothing close to the $4,000 worker raises promised by Republicans, according to Americans for Tax Fairness. Fewer than 1 percent of the 6 million Illinois workers have seen a pay increase from their employers connected to the tax law.

The corporate tax cuts are going straight into the pockets of CEOs and shareholders, as Illinois corporations buy back nearly $20 billion in stock, overwhelmingly benefiting the rich.

The worst part of the tax law is how it damages vital public services Illinois families count on to get by and get ahead. By weakening a key component of the Affordable Care Act, the tax law will result in half a million Illinois residents losing their health insurance, and Illinois families buying coverage through the ACA will pay an estimated $1,900 more a year in premiums. Because the law will drive up the national debt by nearly $2 trillion, Trump and Roskam's Republican colleagues are trying to compensate by cutting Medicare and Medicaid.

If Mike Pence were honest, he would say that Trump and Roskam are leaving the working people of Illinois high and dry.

Reid McCollum

Hinsdale