Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, pledges to protect the "Working Family Tax Cuts," the House's name for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that more than 70 percent of the law's net tax cuts will go to the richest fifth of Americans, and the Congressional Budget Office's February 2026 estimate is that the law will add $4.2 trillion to the national debt through 2034.
Tafoya says the law "just put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets," but the Congressional Budget Office found the lowest-income tenth of households loses about $1,200 a year under it, largely because of its Medicaid cuts. In Minnesota, KFF estimates the law cuts federal Medicaid funding by about $19.1 billion over ten years.
Michele Tafoya's Pledge to Protect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Tax Cuts and Debt
- Tafoya Pledged to Protect Tax Cuts That Go Mostly to the Richest Fifth. As of October 25, 2026, Michele Tafoya's Senate campaign website pledges to "Protect working families' tax cuts" and says "The far left wants to repeal the Working Family Tax Cuts that just put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets." The House of Representatives' April 2026 resolution on the law states that Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is commonly known as the "Working Families Tax Cuts." The pledge goes on: "As our Senator, Michele will oppose any tax increase on the middle class." The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that more than 70 percent of the net tax cuts will go to the richest fifth of Americans in 2026, and that over a decade the law will provide $1 trillion in tax cuts for the richest 1 percent.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Adds $4.2 Trillion to the National Debt and Raises Interest Costs. The Congressional Budget Office's February 2026 estimate is that the law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect will add $4.2 trillion to the national debt through 2034 and $4.7 trillion through 2035. CBO also found the law would boost interest rates and thus increase interest costs by $405 billion, and in fiscal 2026 the government spent more than $1 trillion on interest costs, more than our national defense, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Raises Taxes Slightly on the Poorest Fifth and Cuts Children From the Child Tax Credit. For the poorest fifth of Americans, the average tax change from the law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect is a small tax increase, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found. One of the law's changes requires a Social Security number for the parent as well as the child to claim the Child Tax Credit, and the Brookings Institution and Tax Policy Center found that up to 2 million children who previously received the credit will no longer be eligible.
- Tafoya Says the Law "Put Thousands of Dollars Back in Minnesotans' Pockets"; It Leaves the Lowest-Income Households $1,200 a Year Worse Off. Michele Tafoya's campaign website says the law "just put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets," and at the October 16, 2026 Senate debate she said "I want to put money back in the pockets of Minnesotans." The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the lowest-income earners will lose an average $1,200 in overall household resources each year, while the top decile will receive a windfall of $13,600 every year, and a large contributing factor for this discrepancy is the law's cuts to Medicaid, Thomson Reuters reported.
What the Law Michele Tafoya Backs Takes From Minnesota
- Medicaid. KFF's allocation of the Congressional Budget Office estimate is that the law cuts federal Medicaid funding for Minnesota by 15% of what the state would otherwise receive over ten years.
- Food aid costs. At its 2025 SNAP error rate, Minnesota will owe 15 percent of SNAP benefit costs from fiscal 2028, about $130 million a year, by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' estimate.
- Coverage. KFF projects 170,000 more uninsured Minnesotans in 2034 from the law's health changes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michele Tafoya on Taxes and the deficit
What is Michele Tafoya's record on taxes and the deficit under Trump?
Michele Tafoya pledges to protect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which gives most of its tax cuts to the richest fifth of Americans, adds trillions of dollars to the national debt and leaves the lowest-income households worse off because of its Medicaid and SNAP cuts. She says the law put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets.
Did the law Michele Tafoya backs cut taxes for working families?
Michele Tafoya calls the law the "Working Family Tax Cuts," but the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that the average tax change for the richest one percent under the law is more than $70,000 in 2026, while the poorest fifth see a small tax increase on average.
What does the law Michele Tafoya backs do to the national debt?
The law Michele Tafoya backs adds $4.7 trillion to the national debt through 2035, by the Congressional Budget Office's February 2026 estimate, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reports that federal interest costs passed $1 trillion in fiscal 2026.
Last updated: 2026-10-25