NRCC Comms Director Matt Gorman: Tax Reform Already Helping Middle Class, Not “Crumbs” After All

January 17, 2018

NRCC Communications Director Matt Gorman today joined John Harwood on NPR’s “On Point” to discuss the impact of tax reform and how Republicans are preparing for 2018.

JOHN HARWOOD: Let’s go back to the phones. We’ve got Roland on the line from Nashville, Tennessee. Roland, welcome to ‘On Point.’ What’s your question?

CALLER: I just wanted to say, kind of push back on how they’re characterizing the tax bill as leaving behind the middle class and only serving the rich. I just did my taxes and I’m—I can assure you I’m firmly in the middle class, and I struggled to get even $10,000 in deductions, and I deducted my mortgage, I had a kid last year. Next year, I can take the standard deduction and get more than that right off the bat. Doubling my child—I get twice as much for my kid next year too. I don’t see how that’s not helping the middle class.

HARWOOD: Roland, thanks for your call. Matt, are you confident that the combination of those structural barriers we were talking about from the redistricting process and the neighborhoods people live in with like-minded people, and people like Roland, who are all of a sudden going to feel their wallets a little bit heavier now, is that going to provide a big enough barrier to protect you?

NRCC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR MATT GORMAN: Yeah, it’s not ‘crumbs,’ Roland, huh? That’s real money in your pocket. And I mean obviously, doubling the standard deduction, tax breaks for the middle class—like this is what actually we’re looking to do. We’re looking to help people put more money back in their pockets. I know Amy talked about legislation—that people push it way too far to the left or right. You know, this is something that benefits everyone. This is something that, you know, again, as I was saying before, John, 50% of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. 34% are $400 away from personal economic collapse—that’s a fridge, that’s a water heater. So putting a little more money in their pockets is going to be huge for them. And, again, we’ve seen the dividends already. I think, you know, this is going to be a very big choice. We talked—you talked a lot about Trump, but in every single district—competitive district we poll—the most unpopular politician by far is Nancy Pelosi. Not just among the base, but about independents as well. And the intensity that people disapprove of her is off the charts high. And that’s why, when we went in GA-6, which people haven’t talked about—you want to talk about a competitive special election in a swing district that Trump only won by a point and a half—let’s talk about GA-6. You know, 90% of our ads invoke Nancy Pelosi, and I mean, Paul Ryan went down there and did an event with Karen Handel. When was the last time you saw Nancy Pelosi appear in a swing district and do a public event with a candidate? I can’t think of one. So I think that’s why, again, there’s going to be a real choice whether we’re going to have this American comeback, which Roland is proof-positive of, and going back to the days of Nancy Pelosi.