Jeffries bashes Trump, GOP on SALT
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday went after former President Trump for reversing course on a popular tax break, noting that Republicans had imposed the same cap on state and local tax deductions that Trump now says he wants to abolish.
“It's interesting to me that Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans in the House and the Senate imposed a draconian cap on the state and local tax deduction that has cost middle class Americans thousands of dollars in increased taxes, and then want to turn around and want to pretend that – after being the arsonists who burned down the state and local tax deduction – they're the firefighters to rescue it,” Jeffries said during a press briefing in the Capitol.
“No one is buying it.”
Prior to 2017, taxpayers could deduct the entirety of their state and local tax bill as a way to reduce their federal tax liability. Behind Trump, Republicans had installed a new $10,000 cap on that federal deduction, known as SALT, as part of their 2017 tax reform law, arguing it would hit only wealthy taxpayers to the benefit of lower-income Americans.
Democrats accused Republicans of targeting residents of high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois – all of which happen to lean blue. They say the cap has hit middle-class workers in those wealthier states, and they’ve been fighting to raise the cap – or eliminate it altogether – ever since. In that effort, they’ve been joined by GOP lawmakers in those regions, who have sought to distance themselves from their party’s tax overhaul.
Democrats themselves have been somewhat divided on SALT. Some Democrats have called for eliminating the cap, while others have suggested imposing a new cap. The debate came up when the House, then under Democratic control, considered President Biden's infrastructure bill in 2021.
In a turnaround, Trump, who signed the 2017 bill into law, is now voicing second thoughts about the SALT cap.
In a social media post last week, he suggested he would use a second term in the White House to remove the ceiling he had installed.
“I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more,” he wrote on his Truth Social account the day before he staged a rally on Long Island.
That rally, at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., is part of Trump’s broader strategy to energize conservative voters to help vulnerable House Republicans in New York battleground districts keep their seats next year.
Democrats are hoping to flip those seats, and Jeffries on Wednesday singled out New York and California – two states where the SALT cap is a resonate issue – as central to the Democrats’ strategy for retaking control of the lower chamber.
“Certainly it's a heavy concentration of competitive contests in New York and California. But it's an expansive map, and House Democrats are increasingly on offense,” he said.
Jeffries also bashed Trump for his plan to impose stiff tariffs on imports as a way to boost domestic manufacturing.
“The Trump tariff plan is an aggressive tax on working families and working class Americans that will increase their costs by thousands of dollars per year,” he said.
Jeffries said Democrats, with control of the House and Kamala Harris in the White House, would push a different tax strategy, prioritizing working-class benefits like the child tax credit, the low-income housing tax credit and the earned-income tax credit.
“We also are going to need to evaluate several of the provisions within the GOP tax scam, where 83 percent of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1 percent and saddled our children and grandchildren with $2 trillion worth of unnecessary debt in order to subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and shameless,” Jeffries said.
The battle over the country’s tax policy will be front-and-center next year on Capitol Hill, because many of the provisions of the Republicans’ 2017 law – including the SALT cap – are set to expire at the end of 2025.
Date: | |
Tag: | Donald Trump |
-
CNBC - Business
Nikki Haley campaigners endorse Harris as GOP former governor backs Trump
The endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by former Nikki Haley state campaign committee members came after Haley endorsed GOP nominee Donald Trump.36 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politico - Politics
Hours before vote, Trump again presses House GOP on short-term spending bill
September 18 - Donald Trump -
Politico - Politics
House GOP investigates Zelenskyy's Pennsylvania visit
Yesterday - Ukraine -
Politico - Politics
House GOP launches investigation into Zelenskyy's Pennsylvania visit
4 hours ago - Ukraine -
NBC News - Top stories
Elise Stefanik pushes to expand House GOP majority with record number of women
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the highest-ranking GOP woman in the House, is leading a charge to break the record for Republican women serving in the chamber, just six years after a blue wave wiped out ...11 hours ago -
CBS News - Top stories
Democrats fault anti-abortion records of GOP incumbents in Congress
Democratic congressional hopefuls in California are highlighting the anti-abortion records of vulnerable Republican incumbents, many of whom have moderated their stances ahead of the election.11 hours ago - Abortion -
The Hill - Politics
House GOP feels déjà vu as new funding fight ends with no wins
House Republicans are feeling dejected as they prepare to kick yet another shutdown deadline down the road without securing major wins, an outcome some blame on their own dysfunction. Once again, ...10 hours ago -
The Hill - Politics
GOP-led election lawsuits pile up ahead of November contests
As the presidential race between former President Trump and Vice President Harris tumbles toward its November finish line, legal battles surrounding the 2024 elections are beginning to heat up. ...10 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Ocasio-Cortez calls on Eric Adams to resign
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) urged New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign in a social media post on Wednesday, claiming that the investigations, resignations and vacancies surrounding ...11 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Trump plans Oct. 5 rally at site of assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
Former President Trump will return to the site of his attempted assassination earlier this year with a rally in Butler, Pa., the campaign announced on Wednesday. The Oct. 5 visit will mark Trump’s ...13 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
California expands housing for farmworkers
Welcome to The Hill's Sustainability newsletter {beacon} Sustainability Sustainability The Big Story California expands housing for farmworkers California farmworkers may soon have access to ...19 minutes ago - California -
The Hill - Politics
Alex Jones's Infowars to be auctioned off to help pay Sandy Hook families $1.5 billion
Alex Jones’s Infowars business will be auctioned off to help pay for the $1.5 billion settlement awarded to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, a Texas ...23 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Chappell Roan says she's voting for Harris, but 'not settling for what's been offered'
Pop star Chappell Roan said Wednesday in a TikTok post that she will vote for Vice President Harris, but not endorse the Democratic presidential nominee. “So, yeah, I’m voting for f—ing Kamala,” ...25 minutes ago