Former President Trump sounded an about-face Tuesday on the controversial tax policy known as the SALT deduction cap, breaking from a major provision in his signature piece of domestic policy.
“I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more. I’ll work with the Democrat Governor and Mayor, and make sure the funding is there,” he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday afternoon.
The SALT deduction cap — which stands for State And Local Tax — was instituted at $10,000 in the 2017 Trump tax cuts and was deeply unpopular in Democratic states, where the deduction was used as a tax break by many higher income households.
Democrats were quick to point out Tuesday that the cap originated with Trump’s own tax legislation.
“I’ve always been for eliminating the cap on SALT. I think it was a nasty piece of legislation, supported by Donald Trump, aimed at the blue states, which help the people of their states in many ways,” Senate majority leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday.
The SALT cap has led to divisions within Republican ranks, as GOP lawmakers in Democratic states have fought to get the cap rescinded.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) told The Hill earlier this year that he would vote against a bipartisan tax package put forward by the Republican-chaired Ways and Means Committee because it didn’t raise or do away with the SALT deduction cap.
“In high-tax blue states, it’s a popular thing to be pro-SALT, but to also fight for it. And I’m willing to fight for my constituents by voting no against my own party’s tax package unless and until it has meaningful relief on SALT,” he said.
