Congresswoman Says the Rich Should Get Drug-Tested Before Using Tax Benefits

Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore is proposing that wealthy Americans get drug-tested before being able to take advantage of tax benefits, according to NPR.

Moore has introduced a bill, the “Top 1 Percent Accountability Act of 2016,” which would require taxpayers with itemized deductions of more than $150,000 to submit to the IRS a clear drug test, or take the much lower standard deduction when filing their taxes.

“It is my sincere hope that my bill will help eradicate the stigma associated with poverty and engage the American public in a substantive dialogue regarding the struggles of working- and middle-class families,” Moore said in a news release.

Moore says she was inspired to introduce the legislation after House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled the Republican poverty plan, called “A Better Way,” in front of a drug treatment facility. She said Ryan was “pushing this narrative that poor people are drug addicts.”

Her plan is also responding to laws that require people to undergo drug testing before receiving public assistance. According to the National Conference of States Legislatures, at least 15 states have passed laws linking public assistance and drug screening. In addition, at least 17 states have proposed similar legislation this year.

“As a strong advocate for social programs aimed at combating poverty, it deeply offends me that there is such a deep stigma surrounding those who depend on government benefits, especially as a former welfare recipient,” Moore said. “Sadly, Republicans across the country continue to implement discriminatory policies that criminalize the less fortunate and perpetuate false narratives about the most vulnerable among us. These laws serve only one purpose: stoking the most extreme sentiments and misguided notions of the conservative movement.”

She said the idea that people battling poverty are more susceptible to substance abuse “is as absurd as it is offensive.”