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Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Stephen
Soldz
(617)
935-4246
Dear
President-Elect Obama,
We are
writing to urge you not to
select John Brennan as Director of the CIA. We are psychologists and allies who
have long opposed the abuses of detainees under the Bush administration. We are just concluding a successful
several-year struggle to remove psychologists from their roles in aiding or
abetting these abuses. It has been a distressing fact that, while the Bush
administration resorted to abuse and torture of those in our custody, often
psychologists have been put in positions to use their psychological expertise to
guide these unconscionable practices.
We look
forward to your administration as an opportunity for genuine change - in this
case for our country to take a new direction in its treatment of
prisoners. We applaud your commitment to closing Guantanamo and are encouraged by your clear statement from
your 60
Minutes interview last
Sunday, "America doesn't torture, and I'm
gonna make sure that we don't torture." This fuels our hope for a decisive
repudiation of the "dark side" - the willingness to use or abet illegal and
unethical coercive interrogation tactics that sometimes amount to torture and
often constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment.
We are
concerned, however, by reports that you may appoint John Brennan as Director of
the CIA. Mr. Brennan served as a
high official in George Tenet's CIA and supported Tenet's policies, including
"enhanced interrogations" as well as "renditions" to torturing countries.
According to his own statements, Mr. Brennan was a supporter of the "dark side"
policies, wishing only to have some legal justification supplied in order to
protect CIA operatives. In describing Director Tenet's views he stated during a
March 8,
2006 Frontline
interview:
I think
George [Tenet] had two concerns. One is to make sure that there was that legal
justification, as well as protection for CIA officers who are going to be
engaged in some of these things, so that they would not be then prosecuted or
held liable for actions that were being directed by the administration. So we
want to make sure the findings and other things were done probably with the
appropriate Department of Justice review.
We know, of
course, that "the appropriate Department of Justice review" means that torture
was authorized and conducted by our government.
The use of
these tactics goes against the moral fiber of our country and is never
justified. This is true whether these "enhanced interrogation" techniques are
used directly by U.S. forces, as in the CIA's "black sites," or by other
countries acting as our surrogates, as in the "renditions" program where
individuals are taken to countries practicing torture, resulting in suffering
inflicted by that country's forces.
We are well
aware that these techniques are ineffective as well as immoral. There is
extensive evidence that abused detainees are likely to say anything, true or
false, to make the pain stop, leading to faulty intelligence. Furthermore, use
of torture and other coercive techniques alienates our allies, strengthens the
commitment of our enemies, and puts our own captured soldiers at risk.
Earlier
this year Mr. Brennan argued in a National Journal interview that a new
administration will have great continuity with the Bush-Cheney administration in
its intelligence policies:
Even though
people may criticize what has happened during the two Bush administrations,
there has been a fair amount of continuity. A new administration, be it
Republican or Democrat -- you're going to have a fairly significant change of
people involved at the senior-most levels. And I would argue for continuity in
those early stages. You don't want to whipsaw the [intelligence] community. You
don't want to presume knowledge about how things fit together and why things are
being done the way they are being done. And you have to understand the
implication, then, of making any major changes or redirecting things. I'm hoping
there will be a number of professionals coming in who have an understanding of
the evolution of the capabilities in the community over the past six years,
because there is a method to how things have changed and
adapted.
In order to
restore American credibility and the rule of law, our country needs a clear and
decisive repudiation of the "dark side" at this crucial turning point in our
history. We need officials to clearly and without ambivalence assert the rule of
law. Mr. Brennan is not an appropriate choice to lead us in this direction. The
country cannot afford to have him as director of our most important intelligence
agencies.
As
psychologists and other concerned Americans, we ask you to reject Mr. Brennan as
Director of the CIA. His appointment would dishearten and alienate those who
opposed torture under the Bush administration. We ask you to appoint a Director
who will truly represent "the change we need."
We eagerly
await your administration and the new spirit it represents.
Best wishes
for a successful administration,
Sincerely,
* Affiliations for identification purposes
only
*
Stephen
Soldz, Ph.D., Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis & Coalition
for an Ethical Psychology
Lorri
Greene, Ph.D., Psychologist, San
Diego, CA
Frank
Summers, Ph.D., ABPP, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
Northwestern University Medical School
Ruth
Fallenbaum, Ph.D., Berkeley,
CA
Neil
Altman, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis,
New York
University
Dan Aalbers
Martha
Davis, Ph.D., John
Jay College of Criminal Justice,
NYC
Robert
Parker, Ph.D., Member American Psychological Association since
1985
Member Washington State Psychological Association since
1991
Jancis
Long, Ph.D., President, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Member, APA
Division 39 Section 9 Psychoanalysts for Social Responsibility, Berkeley, CA
Jean Maria
Arrigo, Ph.D., Project on Ethics and Art in
Testimony
Steven
Reisner, Ph.D., NYU Medical
School & Coalition for
an Ethical Psychology
Brad Olson,
Ph.D., Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Ellen G.
Levine, Ph.D., M.P.H., San Francisco
State University, Hayward, CA
David
Sloan-Rossiter, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Psychoanalysis & Boston
Institute of Psychotherapy
David
Ramirez, Ph.D., Swarthmore College
John M.
Stewart, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Northland College, Washburn, WI
Susan
Herman, Ph.D., ABPP, New
York University Postdoctoral Program, Little
Falls, NJ
Susan
Phipps-Yonas, Ph.D., L.P., Minneapolis, MN
Coalition
for an Ethical Psychology
Muriel Dimen, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program in
Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Joe
Gorin, Ph.D., Washington,
DC
Leigh
Messinides, Ph.D., Long
Beach, CA
Alice
Lowe Shaw, Ph.D., San
Francisco, CA
Laura
L. Doty, Ph.D., Santa Rosa,
CA
Susan
Rosbrow-Reich, Ph.D., Psychoanalyst and Psychologist, Faculty
Psychoanalytic Institute of
New England East, Mass Institute
for Psychoanalysis, Psychoanalytic Couple and Family Institute of New England, and Member, Coalition for an Ethical
Psychology
Judie
Alpert, Ph.D., Faculty and Supervisor, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy
and Psychoanalysis, and Professor of Applied
Psychology
Department of Applied Psychology, New York University
Donnel B.
Stern, Ph.D., William Alanson White Institute
Johanna
Tiemann, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program
Julie
Gerhardt, Ph.D., Palo Alto,
CA
Ronna
Friend, M.A., Eugene,
OR
Susan
Reese, Ph.D., Arizona Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, Tucson, AZ
Larry
Welkowitz, Ph.D., Prof. of Psychology, Keene
State College, Keene,
NH
James
Hopper, Ph.D., Arlington,
MA
Philip V. Hull, Ph.D., Psychologist (HI, CA,
New Zealand), Faleola Pacific Island Mental Health Services, Otahuhu, Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Nancy
Hollander, Ph.D., Psychologist & Professor Emeritus of
Latin
American history at
California
State University
John P.
Neafsey, Psy.D., Chicago,
IL
Ronnie C.
Lesser, Ph.D., Dartmouth Medical
College, Hanover,
NH
Stephen
Sideroff, Ph.D.
Kathleen Malley-Morrison, Ed.D., Boston University, Boston, MA
Irwin Z.
Hoffman, Ph.D., Lecturer in Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of
Medicine, Chicago, IL
David G.
Byrom, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Co-Director, Family Therapy Institute of
Suffolk, Smithtown, NY
Claudia
Luiz, M.Ed., Cert. Psya.
Milton
Strauss, Research Psychologist, Corrales, NM
David
DeBatto, Author/Speaker, U.S.
Army Counterintelligence Special Agent (ret.), Tampa, FL
Katie
Gentile, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Counseling and Gender Studies, Women's
Center Director, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York,
NY
Laurel Bass Wagner, Ph.D.,
Dallas, TX
Abram
Trosky, B.A., MALA., Ph.D. candidate, Boston University, Presidential Teaching Fellow,
Political Science Department, Boston, MA
Cynthia Colvin, Ph.D., Oakland, CA
Kathy
French, Ed.D., Professor, Behavior Science Department; Coordinator, UVU Martin
Luther King, Jr. Commemoration; Utah Valley
University
Stefan R.
Zicht, Psy.D., Co-Director, Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis and
President, NY State Psychological Assn Division of
Psychoanalysis
Thomas Rosbrow, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., San Francisco, CA
Norbert A. Wetzel, Th.D., Licensed Psychologist and
Marriage and Family Therapist, Director, Princeton Family Institute, and
Director of Training, Center for Family, Community, and Social Justice, Inc.,
Princeton, NJ
Rachael Peltz Ph.D., Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern
California, Berkeley, CA
Lawrence O. Brown, Ph.D.,
Fellow, Teaching Faculty and Supervisor of Psychotherapy, William Alanson White
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology, New York, NY
Drew
Tillotson, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist, San Francisco, CA
Lynn
Perlman, Ph.D., Newton,
MA
Luisa
M. Saffiotti, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Chevy Chase, MD
Barbara Eisold, Ph.D., New York, NY
Sharon
Gadberry, Ph.D., San
Francisco, CA
Anne
M. Downes, Ph.D., Hampshire
College, Amherst, MA
Arthur J.
Eccleston, Psy.D., Chapel
Hill, NC
Mark S. Kane, Ph.D., Big Rapids,
MI
Cornelia St. John, M.A., MFT, Psychoanalytic
Institute of Northern California, Oakland, CA
Kristi Schermerhorn, Ph.D., Redmond, WA
Amal
Sedky Winter, Ph.D., American
University in Cairo
Sarah R.
Kamens, M.A., European Graduate
School, New York,
NY
Sonia
Orenstein, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Samantha Hoyt, Boston, MA
Melanie
Suchet, Ph.D., Executive Editor, Psychoanalytic
Dialogues
Dr.
Trudy Bond, Private Practice, Toledo, OH
Mary
Pelton-Cooper, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist, Associate Professor, Northern Michigan
University
Peter Gumpert,
Ph.D., Brookline, MA
Michael O'Loughlin, Ph.D., Adelphi University, NY
Thomas S. Greenspon,
Ph.D., LP, LMFT, Minneapolis, MN
Rivkah
Lapidus, Ph.D., Somerville,
MA
Lynne
Layton, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Brookline, MA
Patricia Sherman, Ph.D., LCSW, Long Valley, NJ
Elizabeth
Hegeman, Ph.D., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and William Alanson
White Institute, New York, NY
Kathleen H.
Dockett, Ed.D., Psychologists for Social
Responsibility
Herb
Gingold, Ph.D., Psychologist, New
York, NY
Wes
Alwan, Somerville,
MA
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., Past President (2007-2008),
Psychologists for Social Responsibility (Washington, DC),
Alpharetta, GA
Leila F.
Dane, Ph.D., Executive Director, Institute for Victims of Trauma,
McLean, VA
Elaine
Gould, Ph.D., Member, APA
Marc
Pilisuk, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, The University of California and Professor,
Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, Berkeley,
CA
Dori Smith,
Producer, Talk Nation Radio in CT
Ann
D'Ercole, Ph.D., ABPP, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis
Andrea
Cousins, Ph.D., Psy.D., Pioneer Valley Coalition Against Secrecy & Torture,
Western Massachusetts & Albany Association for Psychoanalytic Psychology
(Local Chapter, Division 39, APA)
Carolyn
Hicks, Ed.D.
Frank
Marotta, Ph.D.
Thomas
Greening, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Saybrook Graduate School and Clinical Professor, UCLA,
Private Practice
Barbara
Pearson, Ph.D., Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and
Psychotherapy
Barbara C.
Greenspon, M.A., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Minneapolis, MN
Virginia S.
Elliott, Cert. PsyA, Brighton MA
Milton Schwebel, Ph.D., Rutgers University
David
Lotto, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Pittsfield, MA
Colleen
Cordes, Executive Director, Psychologists for Social
Responsibility
Martha A.
Nathan, M.D., Baystate Brightwood Medical Center, Springfield, MA
Nina K.
Thomas, Ph.D., ABPP, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis
Stuart A. Pizer, Ph.D., ABPP, Cambridge, MA
M.
Brinton Lykes, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Associate Director, Center for
Human Rights & International Justice, Boston College
Gemma
Marangoni Ainslie, Ph.D., ABPP, Austin, TX
Elaine Gifford, LICSW, Sudbury MA
Virginia
Goldner, Ph.D., Adjunct Clinical Professor, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, New York University, New York,
NY
Lisa
Sutton, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Training, Boston Institute for
Psychotherapy, Brookline,
MA
Polly
Scarvalone, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Jay
Frankel, Ph.D., Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, New York University
Sue A Shapiro, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis,
New York,
NY
Caryn
Gorden, Psy.D., New York, NY
Nancy
Atlas, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Helaine
Gold, Ph.D.
Bruce
Berman, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Andrea
Remez, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Steven Botticelli, Ph.D., New York, NY
Adrienne E Harris, Ph.D., New York, NY
Lisa Lyons,
Ph.D., Teaneck, NJ
Susan
Parlow, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Jill
Salberg, Ph.D., New York University
Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York, NY
Mary
Pike, B.A. Art Institute, ESL Resource Room Supervisor for Highland Park High
School, Highland
Park, IL
Zeese
Papanikolas, M.A., Retired Professor of
Humanities
Stephanie Noland, Ph.D., New York, NY
Helaine Gold, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program in
Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis New York, NY
Steven
Cooper, Ph.D., Joint Chief Editor, Psychoanalytic Dialogues, Cambridge, MA
Laurel E.
Phoenix, Ph.D., Public and Environmental Affairs, UWGB, Green Bay, WI
Elizabeth Kandall, Ph.D., New York, NY
Anita
R. Herron, Ph.D., New York University
Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York, NY
Lynne
Kwalwasser, Ph.D., Supervisor, NYU Postdoctoral Program, New York, NY
Lynn
Leibowitz, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Latika Mangrulkar, MSW, ACSW, Steering Committee,
Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Santa Rosa, CA
Mary
Libbey, Ph.D., New York,
NY
Andrew
Tatarsky, Ph.D., Founding Executive board member, Division on Addiction and
Co-directer, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Training Associates
Roanne Barnett, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, New York, NY
Margaret
White, Ph.D., Upper
Montclair, NJ
Candy
Siegel, Ph.D., Tucson,
AZ
Zeborah Schachtel, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program in
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, New
York, NY
Elizabeth Wolfe, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist,
Westport, CT
Judith
Merbaum, Ph.D., Great Neck, NY
Amy
Schwartz, Ph.D., NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy,
New York, NY
Cathy
S Nelson, MSW, LISW, Ames,
IA
Martin
Devine, Psy.D., New York
University
Amy Schaffer, Ph.D., New York, NY
Nancy Caro
Hollander, Ph.D., Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic
Studies
Michele
Bartnett
Kate
Dunn, Psy. D., Brooklyn,
NY
Nancy
Freeman-Carroll, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist-Psychoanalyst, William Alanson
White Institute, NYSPA, APA, New
York, NY
A. Raja
Hornstein, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist, San Rafael, CA
Catherine M. Rossiter, LMT, Sayre, PA
Meg
Sandow, Psy.D., CA
David
Lichtenstein, Ph.D., New
York, NY
Richard
Reichbart, Ph.D., Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research
(IPTAR)
Ann Marie
Truppi, Ph.D.
Evelyn Pye,
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, American Psychological
Association
Carol
Wachs, Psy.D., New York, NY
Katharine
G. Baker, Ph.D., Northampton, MA
Judith G. Pott, Ph.D., New York, NY
Glenys Lobban, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, New York, NY
Lisa
Fliegel, ATR-BC, LMHC, Boston Institute for Psychotherapy School-based
program
Helen
Brackett, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, New York, NY
Dara Lyn
Petersen, Psychology Student, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Christine Girard, Ph.D., New York, NY
Andrew Phelps, Ph.D. (mathematics), San Jose City College
Jane
Brodwyn, Psy.D., Northampton, MA
Jeanne
Wolff Bernstein, Ph.D., PINC
Stephen Benson, Ph.D., Blue Hill, ME
Kirsten Lentz, Ph.D., Candidate, NYU Postdoctoral Program
in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York, NY
Francia
White, Doctoral Candidate, Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, and Center for
Modern Psychoanalytic Studies
Neville D. Frankel, Newton, MA
Arthur J. Lebow, Ph.D., St. Paul, MN
Luise
Eichenbaum, LCSW, The Women's Therapy Centre
Institute
William Auerbach, Ph.D.,
Psychologist
Ken
Corbett, Ph.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology, The New York University Program in Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis
Carol
Smaldino, LCSW, Port
Washington, NY
Angelo Smaldino, LCSW, Senior Member of National
Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, Port Washington, NY
Susan
Gutwill, MS, LCSW
Brigitte
Ladisch, Ph.D.
Connie Evert, Ph.D., Philadelphia, PA
Diane
Perlman, Ph.D., Co-Chair, Psychologists for Social Responsibility Initiative on
Global Violence, Terrorism and Nuclear Disarmament, Transcend and Abolition,
2000
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Frontline. (March 8, 2006). The Dark Side. Downloaded
November 23, 2008 from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/interviews/brennan.html
National Journal (March 7, 2008). Q&A with John
Brennan: The Counterterror Campaign. Downloaded November 23, 2008 from
https://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/080307nj1.htm
"We felt we needed a physical space where we could grieve together for what we are losing, and reflect on how to respond to the challenge now in front of us," said Alex Martin of Extinction Rebellion Cambridge.
Extinction Rebellion and other climate organizations on Saturday held a funeral for the Paris agreement's 1.5ºC temperature target in Cambridge, England.
"The mock funeral idea grew out of the need to process the enormity and sadness of this moment," Alex Martin of Extinction Rebellion (XR) Cambridge said in a statement. "While many people are distracted by 1,001 things on their phones, we felt we needed a physical space where we could grieve together for what we are losing, and reflect on how to respond to the challenge now in front of us."
Almost a decade ago, parties to the Paris treaty agreed to work toward limiting temperature rise this century to 1.5ºC—but 2024 was the hottest year in human history, and countries around the world show no signs of reining in planet-wrecking fossil fuels anywhere near the degree that scientists warn is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown.
"Crossing 1.5ºC for a whole calendar year is a wake-up call for the world," said Olympic gold medalist and XR U.K. spokesperson Etienne Stott, highlighting another alarming record from last year. "If we want to avoid crossing further tipping points we need a complete transformation of society."
Extinction Rebellion and other climate groups held a funeral for the Paris agreement's 1.5°C temperature target in Cambridge, England on May 10, 2025. (Photo: Derek Langley)
Scientists from universities in the United Kingdom and Germany warned in a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Earth System Dynamics last month that humankind is at risk of triggering various climate tipping points absent urgent action to dramatically reduce emissions from fossil fuels.
"There are levers policymakers can pull to rapidly phase out fossil fuels, but this requires standing up to powerful interests," Stott said Saturday. "Activists need to build power, resilience, and the world we want to see in our communities; but we also need to keep seeking the spark that will cause the worldwide transformation we need to see."
In addition to the Cambridge and U.K. arms of Extinction Rebellion, Saturday's action was organized by Cambridge Greenpeace, Cambridge Stop the War, and the Organization of Radical Cambridge Activists (ORCA).
Varsity, the independent student newspaper at the University of Cambridge, reported that the marchers "rallied at Christ's Pieces, where they heard from one of the organizers, who emphasised the harm caused by exceeding 1.5ºC of warming."
"The march then proceeded up Christ's Lane and down Sidney Street, led by a group of 'Red Rebels,' dressed in red robes with faces painted white, followed by 'pall bearers' carrying coffins painted black, with the words 'Inaction Is Death' in white," according to Varsity. "The procession was completed by a samba band who drummed as they walked, followed by protesters carrying a large sign reading 'Don't silence the science,' along with many other smaller placards."
Members of the "Red Rebel Brigade" led a procession around Cambridge, England as part of a funeral for the Paris agreement's 1.5°C temperature target on May 10, 2025. (Photo: Derek Langley)
Photos from organizers show participants displaying banners with messages such as "No Future on a Dead Planet," and additional messages painted on the black coffins: "1.5ºC Is Dead," "Act Now," "Ecocide," "RIP Earth," and "Web of Life."
"Politicians have broken their promises to keep global temperature rises to a livable 1.5ºC," declared Zoe Flint, a spokesperson for XR Cambridge. "For decades, people around the world have been resisting environmental devastation in their own communities and beyond—often facing state repression and violence as a result."
"With dozens of political protesters now in prison in this country, that repression has come to the U.K. too," Flint noted. "But when those least responsible for climate breakdown suffer the worst effects, we can't afford to give up the fight."
Parties to the Paris agreement are set to gather next in November at the United Nations climate summit, COP30, in Belém, Brazil.
"Despite their rhetoric," Republicans are "failing to deliver for millions of working-class families," said one tax expert.
Since Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday evening released tax-related legislative language and announced a markup for President Donald Trump's "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," economic justice advocates have sounded the alarm.
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) scheduled a Tuesday afternoon hearing, shared 28 pages of legislative proposals for the reconciliation package, and positively framed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that congressional Republicans passed and Trump signed in 2017. The tax reform push comes just months away from parts of that law—which critics call the "GOP tax scam"—expiring.
"So far this costly bill appears to double down on trickle down, with huge tax cuts that will further enrich the rich and not much for the rest of us," said Amy Hanauer, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), in a Saturday statement. "What's more, many of the modest improvements for lower- and middle-income families are proposed to be temporary, whereas the benefits for the wealthiest are proposed to be permanent."
Hanauer's group specifically noted that "the 2017 changes to personal income tax rates and brackets would be made permanent," as would the deduction that individuals receive from "pass-through" businesses, which would also increase from 20% to 22%. Republicans also want to hike the estate tax exemption from $13.99 million per spouse to $15 million and have it continue to rise with inflation.
"The very generous version of a tax break for offshore profits (the GILTI deduction) would be made permanent, effectively taxing the foreign profits of American corporations half as much (at most) as their domestic profits are taxed," the think tank highlighted.
ITEP also flagged that "the 2017 change to the standard deduction would be made permanent, and a temporary four-year boost would bump it up to $16,000 for individuals, $24,000 for taxpayers filing as head of household, and $32,000 for married couples."
"The child tax credit would temporarily increase to $2,500 per child from $2,000 per child for four years, but 4.5 million citizen kids would lose access to the... CTC due to a requirement that both their parents have Social Security numbers," the group warned.
Chuck Marr, vice president of federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, similarly said in a series of Friday social media posts that the emerging "bill appears highly skewed to the wealthy, [with] several regressive expansions of 2017 tax cuts and full of costly timing gimmicks, while, despite their rhetoric, failing to deliver for millions of working-class families."
Like ITEP, Marr blasted House Republicans for their "glaring failure" on the CTC as well as for continuing to push the pass-through deduction and estate tax exemption, the latter of which he called "the most skewed provision of the 2017 law."
"On Tuesday, House Republicans in one committee will be taking away people's health insurance and in another taking away food assistance, while in a third they will be permanently increasing the amount the wealthiest heirs in the country can inherit tax-free," he said, stressing that the GOP aims to pay for its tax giveaways to the rich by gutting Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
"It also looks like House Republicans are repeating a brazen pattern from 2017: Make the provisions for rich people permanent (recall the 2017 massive corporate rate cut) while making the broader provisions temporary—backwards priorities," Marr declared.
"So tonight we've learned—despite all the Trump bluster—House Republicans are proposing more tax cuts for the wealthy, increasing its already bloated costs, while harshly failing to deliver for millions of families he promised to help," he concluded.
Smith's legislative text notably does not include letting the top tax rate revert from 37% to 39.6% for taxable income greater than $5 million for married couples and $2.5 million—an idea that Trump floated this week but, as NBC Newsput it, "is running into a buzz saw of opposition in the Republican Party."
Trump said on his Truth Social Platform early Friday: "The problem with even a 'TINY' tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, 'Read my lips,' the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election. NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I'm OK if they do!!!"
While Trump's comments this week have generated headlines about the president proposing "to raise income taxes on wealthy Americans," ITEP's Steve Wamhoff and Carl Davis argued in a blog post that "nobody should be deceived: The wealthiest taxpayers got enormous tax breaks from Trump's 2017 law and are getting additional large tax breaks in what Trump and Republicans are proposing now."
"We need legislation that requires rich people to pay more taxes, not less," they added. "The Republican legislation will do the opposite, regardless of whether or not Congress includes this latest suggestion from Donald Trump."
Leaders around the world have urged de-escalation between the nuclear-armed nations since the massacre in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
This is a developing story... Please check back for possible updates...
India and Pakistan accused each other of violating a cease-fire that had been announced Saturday by officials from both countries and U.S. President Donald Trump amid global fears of escalating tit-for-tat strikes between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the wake of last month's Pahalgam massacre in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
"Within hours, blasts were reported from the main cities of Indian Kashmir, the center of four days of fighting," Reutersreported, citing authorities, residents, and witnesses. "Blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu, and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening."
Drop Site News noted that Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri accused Pakistan of "repeated violations" of the deal.
However, Pakistan's information minister, Ataullah Tarar, toldGeo News, that "violation of cease-fire agreement from our side is out of question."
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs later released a statement saying that it "remains committed to faithful implementation" of the deal, accusing India of committing violations, and stressing that troops on the ground "should also exercise restraint."
Earlier Saturday, the Indian minister, Misri, had confirmed the cease-fire agreement, saying that "it was agreed that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea."
Indian officials have not publicly credited the United States for the deal, while Pakistani leaders have. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar "specifically acknowledged the role played by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the process," according toGeo News.
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, said on social media that "we thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region."
The U.S. president had said on his Truth Social platform: "After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Leaders around the world, including United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, have urged diplomacy and restraint since militants attacked Hindu tourists and killed 26 people in Kashmir last month.
After Saturday's cease-fire announcement, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the U.N. chief, toldPTI that "we are monitoring but we welcome all efforts to de-escalate the conflict."
Sources from India and Pakistan's governments toldReuters that the Indus Waters Treaty was not part of the deal. India withdrew from the decades-old water-sharing pact after the April attack in Kashmir.