'I did not mean to spread misinformation': Actress Jenna Fischer issues apology for tweeting outdated information about the GOP tax bill
- Actor Jenna Fischer tweeted out a lengthy apology on Wednesday for inaccurately claiming that the recently passed GOP tax bill eliminated a deduction for teachers.
- While the House version of the bill eliminated the $250 deduction, the final version restored it, following outcry from teachers and their supporters.
- "I was well-intentioned, but I was behind on my research," Fischer wrote.
"The Office" actor Jenna Fischer tweeted out an unusual, lengthy apology on Wednesday for inaccurately claiming that the recently passed GOP tax bill eliminated a deduction for teachers to pay for classroom supplies.
"I can't stop thinking about how school teachers can no longer deduct the cost of their classroom supplies on their taxes...something they shouldn't have to pay for with their own money in the first place. I mean, imagine if nurses had to go buy their own syringes. #ugh," Fischer tweeted on Saturday.
While the House version of the Republican bill eliminated a provision in the tax code that allowed teachers to deduct up to $250 in classroom spending, the final version of the legislation signed by President Donald Trump last week restored that deduction, following outcry from teachers and their supporters.
When Twitter users pointed out Fischer's mistake, the actress argued that the $250 deduction was still "woefully insufficient," and did not apologize for suggesting that the Republican legislation had eliminated the deduction.
Fischer responded to her critics on Twitter on Christmas day, writing, "Thanks for your tweets! I had some facts wrong. Teachers surveyed by Scholastic in 2016 personally spent an average of $530 on school supplies for students. Teachers who worked at high-poverty schools spent an average of $672. The tax deduction was capped at $250."
While Fischer got these numbers right, she still didn't explain that the $250 cap, which has been in place since December 2015, was not altered by the new law. But on Wednesday, the actress tweeted a longer apology, writing that she deleted her Saturday tweet, which she said was "well-intentioned," but contained outdated information.
"I feel genuinely bad about getting my facts wrong and I'm sorry," Fischer wrote. "I did not mean to spread misinformation. I was well-intentioned, but I was behind on my research."
She went on, "I'm not ashamed to say I was wrong and I'm not ashamed to correct it. I was taught that taking responsibility is the right thing to do."