This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Search form

What #40dollars Means to Americans

Summary: 
On WhiteHouse.gov, Facebook and Twitter Americans join the conversation on the payroll tax cut and share what's at stake if Congress fails to extend the payroll tax cut.

Ed. Note: Today at 3:30 pm EDT, Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council will be holding a session of Office Hours on Twitter.  He’ll be on the @WHLive account answering questions about the payroll tax cut extension.  Ask your question now and during the live event on Twitter using the hashtag #WHChat.

Yesterday, the White House called on Americans to add their voice to the conversation happening in Washington, DC about why we need to extend the payroll tax cut. If Congress fails to extend this tax cut, the typical family making $50,000 a year will have about $40 less to spend or save with each paycheck. Over the year, that adds up to about $1,000 -- and has a real impact on American families.

Opponents of the payroll tax cut dismissed the impact by insisting $40 isn’t a lot of money. Well, we know that's not the case for many families who are already working hard to make ends meet, so we asked you tell us what $40 means for you and your family. We asked in an email from David Plouffe, and on Facebook and Twitter. 

The response was overwhelming.

We received over 18,000 submissions through a form on Whitehouse.gov, averaging over 1,000 an hour and coming in from every state in the nation. On Twitter, we asked “What does #40dollars mean to you?” In a short period of time, the hashtag #40dollars was trending on Twitter, not just nationwide, but worldwide. The hashtag #40dollars has been used in over 1,000 tweets and counting, and that based on the latest report from Hashtracking.com generated nearly 16 million impressions and reached an audience of over 3 million people. 

So, what does $40 mean to you? Share your story and have a look at what people around the country are saying below or on Storify: