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Underwood supports family tax refunds during shutdown

Rep. Underwood Votes To Ensure Families Get Their Tax Refunds Without Delay and To Re-Open the Treasury Department and Other Key Agencies. Over 5 million Illinois Households Receive Tax Refunds Each Year

Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) joined House Democrats Wednesday January 9, 2019 to pass the FY 2019 Department of the Treasury and IRS appropriations bill to remove all doubt that hard-working Illinoisans will receive their tax refunds in full and on time. Each year, about 5,024,942 Illinois households receive an average tax return of about $2,900, which will remain in jeopardy as long as the these government agencies remain closed.

Earlier this week, after House Democrats announced plans to pass this bill, the Trump Administration suddenly reversed its previous announcement that the IRS is unable to issue tax refunds during a shutdown; and stated it will bring back some furloughed employees. However, the only way to prevent confusion and ensure that all Americans will receive their tax refunds without delay is to fully re-open the IRS and bring all IRS employees back to work.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood voting in the U.S. House of Representatives. Photo courtesy of Lauren Underwood

“Illinoisans deserve their tax refunds in full and on time. That is why I voted – for the second time since I was sworn in—to re-open the Treasury Department and IRS. We must stop playing politics and re-open government,” said Rep. Underwood.

On Day One of the new Congress, the House Democratic Majority took the first steps to restore certainty to people’s lives by passing a complete funding package with Senate Republicans’ language to re-open government. Yet, Senate Republicans refused to bring that bill up for a vote. Now, over the coming days, Democrats will take action to re-open all government agencies that are shut by passing individual, bipartisan appropriations bills.

“The people of the Illinois 14^th deserve a fully functioning federal government, including services provided by the Department of the Treasury and the IRS,” continued Rep. Underwood. “I believe in governing responsibly and will not allow the hard-working people of Illinois to be held hostage by this political stunt to shut down critical government agencies. We will continue to work to re-open government, and keep our promise to deliver progress for all Americans.”

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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