Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered one of his sharpest critiques yet of Democrat-led states on Wednesday, accusing several governors and legislatures of intentionally denying their citizens tax relief guaranteed under President Donald Trump’s sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
According to Fox News, Bessent said states including Colorado, New York, Illinois, and the District of Columbia have refused to adopt key provisions of the law, creating what he framed as an unnecessary financial burden on their own residents.
He said the holdout states are “deliberately blocking their own residents from receiving” the benefits Congress approved this summer. He called the refusal “a blatant act of political obstructionism” and “a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion.”
“By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state tax burdens, robbing them of the relief they deserve and exacerbating the financial squeeze on low- and middle-income households,” Bessent said.
Bessent also took his message to social media, posting a meme on X portraying New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as “the Grinches Who Stole Christmas.”
The Treasury secretary defended Trump’s tax overhaul, signed into law on July 4, as “the most pro-worker, pro-family tax reform in a generation.”
He highlighted provisions such as “No Tax on Tips,” the elimination of federal taxes on overtime pay, and a new deduction aimed at seniors who rely on Social Security.
Bessent said the law reflects Trump’s broader promise to deliver “real relief for the forgotten men and women of America, certainty for businesses and momentum for growth.”
He urged remaining holdout states to “immediately conform and stop punishing their citizens for partisan games,” arguing that voters demanded decisive policy shifts, not “bureaucratic roadblocks.”
Bessent added that the Treasury Department is prepared to help any state move into compliance, but warned that federal officials “will not stand idly by as this obstructionism drags down the national recovery.”
“This is about putting America first,” he said. “Starting with the families and workers who make our economy the envy of the world.”
