Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) urged House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to delay consideration of the tax bill until Senator-elect Doug Jones (D-AL) is sworn into office.

Read the full text of Rep. Sewell’s letter to House Speaker Ryan and Senate Majority Leader McConnell.

“As Congress considers far-reaching tax legislation this December, I urge Senate leadership to delay consideration of the tax bill until Senator-elect Doug Jones is sworn into office. The GOP tax bill will have severe consequences for all American families, and the people of Alabama deserve to have both of their duly elected Senators at the table for consideration of this bill.”

After Attorney General Jeff Sessions vacated one of Alabama’s Senate seats in February of 2017, Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) was appointed to the seat until a special election could be conducted.

In 2010, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the Senate to halt the legislative process related to the Affordable Care Act until a newly elected Senator could be seated after a special election in Massachusetts. McConnell also delayed Senate action filling the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia until after the 2016 election, saying that, “the American people are perfectly capable of having their say on this issue, so let's give them a voice.”

While final text of the GOP tax bill has not yet been released to the public, congressional leadership expect a vote on the final bill in the Senate next week. Read Rep. Sewell’s statement on the House version of the GOP tax bill.

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.