On Nov. 2, House Republicans unveiled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bill proposes the largest reform of the U.S. tax code in 30 years, since former President Ronald Reagan’s Tax Reform Act of 1986. Authored by House Ways and Means committee chair U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), the plan calls for simplification of the tax system, along with tax cuts across the board. For instance, it would compress the number of income tax brackets from seven to four, and it would cut the corporate tax from 35 percent to 20 percent.

President Donald Trump has championed the bill, calling it a “massive tax relief for the American people.” For students, though, the bill is far from a relief.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the tax plan would increase budget deficits by $1.7 trillion over a decade. Unfortunately, to compensate for deficits created by extensive tax breaks, the GOP has chosen to erase certain tax benefits and relief programs, including benefits for student borrowers paying off loans. Education deductions and credits are complex; one U.S. Department of the Treasury review suggested the confusing process of claiming education-related tax credits has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed credits every year. For this reason, there have been consistent calls to reform these benefits. However, the GOP’s misleading effort to simplify these benefits is actually an attempt to remove many of them altogether. This gives students reasons for concern.

First, House Republicans are aiming to eliminate the student loan interest deduction. By removing this tax deduction, students would no longer be able to deduct as much as $2,500 in student loan interest annually. According to the IRS, more than 12 million people claimed this deduction in 2015. With more expensive student loan borrowing, the deduction’s removal would make college less affordable for many. The change also harms graduates still paying off student debt — many claim this student loan break for years after college.

The plan also seeks to cut several student tax credits. Three main higher-education tax credits currently exist: the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit and the Hope Scholarship Credit. The new tax plan would eliminate the Lifetime Learning Credit, which offers as much as $2,000 each year for tuition and related education expenses. Unlike the American Opportunity Tax Credit, this credit is not limited by the number of years it can be claimed; for graduate students, this makes it easier to use. The Lifetime Learning Credit is also granted to students who take fewer classes than usual and to those who are not enrolled in a specific degree program. With its removal, many students would lose their qualifications for tax credits, facing stricter guidelines under the American Opportunity Tax Credit. Under its four-year credit limit, this credit modification would particularly hurt graduate students, who usually spend more than five years in college. In addition, those who do not take enough courses would lose their tax credits.

According to the House committee’s own summary, the bill could increase costs of attending college by almost $65 billion in total in the next decade. Thankfully, with such drastic changes being proposed, the bill is open to debate in Congress. It has faced enormous backlash from legislators and representatives of higher education systems. We should expect “deeply negative consequences for access to higher education” said Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) has already criticized the bill for making higher education more expensive. In a news release, McCollum claimed the higher costs forced on students and families are “being used to give tax cuts to big corporations and billionaires.”

On Thursday, Senate Republicans offered up their own proposal, largely diverging from the original House bill. This alternative plan maintains the student loan interest deductions that have helped cushion large student debts. To eventually pass a final bill, then, the House and Senate will have to come to terms with an effective solution as it relates to education-based tax programs. The GOP holds a narrow Senate majority, and can only afford to lose two Republican Senate votes to pass the bill. Further, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is currently recovering from six broken ribs, and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is healing from a urinary tract infection. Ultimately, with no room to lose votes, Senate Republicans will face difficulty cooperating on this legislation.

The implications of this bill are far reaching; they impact students across the country. The only way for us, as students, to ensure that tax reform truly provides us with “relief” is to speak up. By calling our local government representatives, we can pressure other congressmen like McCollum to take a stand against these destructive reforms.

Michael Wolfe is a Weinberg freshman. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.