As weeks slip by, the American people are looking to Congress to get an important agenda item done: extending the expiring Trump tax cuts.

According to newly released polling data from Independent Women, large majorities of women, Gen Z, and independent voters don’t want Congress to let the 2017 tax cuts expire this year.

If they do, the average taxpayer faces a 22% tax increase, and the top tax rate for small businesses could rise to over 43%.

Here are a few top toplines from the brand-new poll:

  1. Most Americans say extend the tax cuts.
  • 79% of Americans overall
  • 78% of women
  • 78 % of independents
  • 72% of Gen Z
  1. Americans hurting from the affordability crisis say now is not the time for taxes to rise.
  • 70% of Gen Z
  • 67% of independents
  • 67% overall
  • 65% of women
  1. The 2017 tax cuts brought prices down before inflation accelerated in 2021.
  • 64% of Gen Z
  • 59% of Americans overall
  • 56% of women
  • 54% of Independents 

For more from this poll, click HERE.

Budget reconciliation—which advances bills by a simple majority—is the process Congress will use to advance an extension of expiring tax cuts. As we wrote recently, this is where the Trump tax cuts stand.

The challenge is that the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, both led by conservatives, are not on the same page.

Politico reported last week, “Both the House and Senate are eyeing the week of April 7 to finish work on the budget resolution — a necessary first step for the reconciliation process — before leaving for a two-week Easter recess.”

Over the weekend, Senate Republicans signaled they have a plan to advance President Trump’s tax cuts along with other priorities of funding for border security and national defense in “one big, beautiful bill” that does not include spending cuts. They would aim to tackle spending cuts separately. A bill already passed by the House advances all of those priorities along with spending cuts. The drama will be in reconciling these approaches. 

Now that a government shutdown has been averted with the passage of a six-month continuing resolution, Congress must turn to one of President Trump’s top priorities of making permanent the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 

Women, young people, and independent voters do not want tax increases, but taxes will rise automatically if Congress fails to make them permanent now. Households and small businesses don’t need more financial pressure; they need continued relief.

Learn more about the tax cuts: iwf.org/tax-cuts.