Former Va. governor explains how Trump’s tax bill will affect students

By Dana Nickel, Staff Writer

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe spoke to Mason students, affected families, tax officials and small business owners during a town hall focused on the Republican tax bill and its impact in Virginia on Tuesday, March 27.

McAuliffe will join Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government as a distinguished visiting professor. McAuliffe will be a guest lecturer “on national and international affairs, with a primary focus on how workers can succeed in the increasingly global economy,” according to Mason’s announcement on Monday, March 26.

The George Mason Democrats hosted the speech in the Johnson Center. The event was sponsored by the National Women’s Law Center and Prosperity Now.

The event was created by a branch of the Hub Project’s organization, Not One Penny. Not One Penny is an active organization that focuses on financial aspects of political decisions and legislation, such as the Tax Bill that was passed into law in Dec. 2017.

“The tax cuts recently passed by congress will cut taxes for our country’s wealthiest individuals and corporations, while simultaneously ignoring those who need help the most,” said Kara Kline, the president of the George Mason Democrats in her opening remarks for the town hall. “As a college student, it is terrifying to think about the loans I’ll have to pay off when I graduate, especially because half of the college graduates cannot pay off their own debt.”

“This was one of the worst pieces of legislation I have ever seen passed by congress and signed into law by the President,” McAuliffe said during the event. He explained that the bill provides short term solutions, and that “the consequences are the most damaging” in the long run for Americans.

“I see young people today, and you’re going to have to pay all this debt off,” said McAuliffe, regarding students at Mason and other universities across the country.

Photo Courtesy of Creative Services