I read with interest Mr. Dan Jurek’s reply (Dec. 8) to my letter regarding the Republican tax bill. In response to my assertion that revenue losses under the bill would trigger automatic spending cuts in programs vital to senior, school children and farmers, Mr. Jurek says, “That is a made-up lie, as there is no provision that automatically cuts any of these programs due to the tax bill.”
I refer Mr. Jurek and the Pioneer’s readers to the provisions of the federal “Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act (PAYGO) of 2010. It can be found at Title 2 of the United States Code Chapter 20A Sections 931-939. PAYGO requires immediate across-the-board spending reductions to many programs if any Congressional bill reduces taxes and does not fully offset them with revenue elsewhere. Over 200 such mandatory programs are subject to PAYGO cuts.
The special beneficiaries of those programs not only include seniors, school children and farmers, but also Mr. Trump’s coal miners. Both the Special Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners Program and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund are in jeopardy under PAYGO, when (not if) the Republican tax bill increases the deficit.
A list of the PAYGO-affected programs can be found in an excellent article by Margot Sanger-Katz in the New York Times of Nov. 29. The article is entitled “The Tax Bill’s Automatic Spending Cuts.” A very similar article can be found in the Wall Street Journal of Nov. 14. That article is entitled “GOP Tax Bill Would Prompt Automatic Spending Cuts.” Both articles can be accessed online.
Further information on this subject can be located by an internet search engine using the terms “PAYGO” plus “Republican Tax Bill.” I encourage everyone to consult reliable sources regarding this important subject before forming an opinion.
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Randall Burg
Bemidji
