Blue State Republicans Lobby Trump To Massively Expand Tax Breaks For Their Wealthy Residents

Blue state Republican lawmakers are proposing a massive expansion on the cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes that would disproportionately benefit wealthy residents of Democratic-run states with high tax burdens.

New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler reintroduced the SALT Fairness and Marriage Penalty Elimination Act Wednesday, which would allow federal taxpayers to increase the write-off on state and local taxes for up to $100,000 for single filers and up to $200,000 for married couples filing jointly. The bill’s reintroduction comes in advance of House Republicans who represent blue states who are scheduled to meet with President-elect Donald Trump this weekend to discuss tax policy.

 Republican lawmakers from high-tax blue states will meet with Trump to discuss incorporating an expansion of the SALT deduction into the sprawling tax bill GOP lawmakers are trying to pass this year. Trump floated making changes to the SALT deduction in a Truth Social post prior to a campaign rally on Long Island in September. Other Republican lawmakers reportedly attending the meeting at Mar-a-Lago, in addition to Lawler, include Republican Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Nick LaLota and Andrew Garabino of New York, Tom Kean of New Jersey and Young Kim of California. “Once again, we are working to bring tax relief to New Yorkers from the federal level because Democrats like Hochul & Adams keep abusing our state’s taxpayers,” Malliotakis posted on X Wednesday. Trump’s signature tax law that passed during his first term in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), set the SALT cap at $10,000 for federal returns. The TCJA notably expires at the end of this year if Congress does not extend the cuts by passing a new tax package. Raising or fully repealing the cap on state and local taxes overwhelmingly benefits high-income earners,