Trump signals he'd restore full SALT deduction, but Democrats are skeptical
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump posted that he would "lower your taxes, and so much more,” Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to “get SALT back" — an apparent reference to lifting the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions that he signed into law as president — in a post met with skepticism by New York Democrats.
The Republican presidential nominee included the reference to the SALT cap in a Truth Social post about his appearance Wednesday evening at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale.
“I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more," Trump said in the post. “I’ll work with the Democrat Governor and Mayor, and make sure the funding is there to bring New York State back to levels it hasn’t seen for 50 years."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) questioned Trump's post on Tuesday.
“Trump was the one who took away SALT. It hurt many New Yorkers, including many Long Islanders. Now that he’s back on Long Island for the first time, he changes his mind?" Schumer said. "Give me a break."
Schumer told reporters at the Democratic National Convention that he will not allow Congress to renew the SALT cap next year when lawmakers renegotiate Trump tax cuts that expire at the end of 2025.
Trump did nothing to stop Republican majorities in the House and Senate from adding the SALT cap to the massive Tax Cuts and Jobs Act they passed in 2017, despite opposition by New York Democrats and many New York Republicans.
Long Island lawmakers from both parties have proposed bills to lift the cap each year since Trump signed it into law on Dec. 22, 2017, but the majority of Republicans have voted against and blocked those attempts.
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) welcomed Trump’s comment. Suozzi helped lead the effort in the Democratic-controlled House to pass legislation to overturn the SALT cap three times. The Senate failed to pass the bill each time.
"I am happy that the former president is saying that he has finally reversed his devastating decision in 2017 to eliminate the state and local tax deduction [cap]. It has been devastating for my constituents for the past seven years," Suozzi told Newsday in a statement.
But he added, “If he is truly serious he should urge 100 Republicans in the House and 25 in the Senate to join me in the full SALT deduction now!!"
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) co-sponsored a bill to lift the SALT cap earlier this year with Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport). It failed in the House when most Republicans voted against it.
After Trump’s post Tuesday, D’Esposito posted a picture of a salt shaker on X.
'This is going to sway the vote' Trump supporters and local GOP officials came to the Coliseum for the former president's rally. Some waited hours to see him. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'This is going to sway the vote' Trump supporters and local GOP officials came to the Coliseum for the former president's rally. Some waited hours to see him. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
