Select Media Mentions
Bloomberg: Trump’s SALT Tax Promise Hinges on an Obscure Loophole
February 26, 2025
Over the coming months, President Donald Trump and his congressional allies will try to rewrite the nation’s tax laws, with promises of cuts for companies, workers and retirees. There are trillions of dollars on the line with those changes. But a certain segment of Americans will be focused on just one question: How much of their state and local taxes (SALT) will they be allowed to deduct?
USA Today: President Trump’s Social Security Changes So Far: 4 Things You Should Know
February 25, 2025
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to end federal taxation of Social Security retirement benefits. This isn't something he can do unilaterally. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president and Republican lawmakers have discussed including this move in a budget package. But so far in his second term, President Trump has made some changes on his own that affect Social Security either directly or indirectly. Here are four things you should know.
NPR: Trump Aims to Cut Benefits for Those Without Legal Status. Most Already Don’t Qualify
February 20, 2025
President Trump issued an order Thursday aimed at preventing taxpayer money from supporting immigrants without legal status. Read more.
New York Times: Trump Orders End to Federal Benefits for Undocumented Migrants
February 20, 2025
President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at eliminating federal benefits for undocumented migrants in the United States, describing the benefits as an improper use of taxpayer resources.
U.S. News and World Report: How Trump’s Mass Deportations Could Lower the Social Security Trust Funds
February 19, 2025
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, including one aimed at “the efficient and expedited removal of aliens from the United States.” It calls for the Department of Homeland Security to expand its reach and deport “removable aliens” in every state. Those efforts have run into obstacles – most notably a lack of detention space and funding – but if successful, mass deportations could have unintended consequences. For one, they could mean less money for already meager Social Security trust funds.
Newsweek: Donald Trump’s Immigration Plans Could Push Up Retirement Costs
February 13, 2025
While there is widespread support for Trump's policies, it could have a negative impact on retirees across the U.S. by reducing the pool of funding available to pay benefits, increasing costs and contributing to an increase in inflation.
New York Times: Opinion | Democrats Need to Learn How to Throw a Punch
February 12, 2025
For most of the past decade, progressives presented the battle over immigration as simply a fight against Republican cruelty, racism and xenophobia. Such messaging does not amount to a political strategy. By 2024, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris seemed to stop trying to win the debate. As border-state governments grappled with newcomers, Republican leaders saw a crisis they could seize and weaponize — while Democratic leaders offered no compelling case of their own.
Slate: This Is Not About Cost Cutting
February 11, 2025
As terrifying and probably illegal as Elon Musk’s tech-bro holy war against the federal government has been, it’s only Phase 1. Really, the spectacle of the past few weeks sets Donald Trump and Musk up for what they almost certainly want much more: massive tax cuts for the wealthy.
Video: ITEP’s Miles Trinidad Talks Maryland Tax Reform on WUSA9 TV
February 11, 2025
ITEP State Analyst Miles Trinidad spoke to WUSA9 TV about Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed tax reform package. Video is embedded below, and link to the story is here.
The Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott Wants to Set a High Bar for Local Tax Increases
February 10, 2025
Gov. Greg Abbott, in his bid to curb Texas’ high property taxes, wants Texas voters to have the final say on any property tax hike. Local governments that collect property taxes — including cities, counties and school districts — should have to win approval from a two-thirds majority of voters if they want to raise their tax rates, Abbott said.
Miami Herald: Commentary: Undocumented Immigrants Are Well Documented. Just Ask the IRS.
February 3, 2025
The phrase "undocumented immigrant" is deeply misleading, if not outright inaccurate. It implies that there is a mass of people in the U.S. that essentially live off the grid, apart from society, existing only in informal economies and off-the-book transactions. In fact, immigrants who lack permission to be in the U.S. are enmeshed in society with plenty of formal and official documents to their name, from tax returns to mortgages.
New York Times: What Mass Deportations Would Do to New York City’s Economy
January 31, 2025
That number comes not from a left-leaning human rights group intent on fostering sympathy for people who crossed the border illegally, but rather from the wonky Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan Washington think tank. The organization’s research also tells us that nationally, more than a third of the tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants go toward payroll taxes, which are aimed at backing entitlement programs that these workers are not entitled to access.
The New Statesman: Donald Trump’s Florida Project
January 30, 2025
But Mar-a-Lago is just the crown jewel in the Floridisation of US politics. A born and bred New Yorker, Trump switched his primary residence from Manhattan to Palm Beach during his first term, stating that he had “been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state [of New York]. Few have been treated worse.” There was also a more practical rationale for becoming a Florida resident: lower taxes. Florida is one of just nine states that do not levy state income taxes on residents. According to a recent report by the Institute on Taxation and…
Yahoo News: Simu Liu Speaks Out on Trump’s New Tax Plan
January 29, 2025
Simu Liu has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s newly proposed U.S. tax plan, which seeks to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and introduce new measures that primarily benefit high-income earners and corporations.
Mother Jones: Trump Tax Cuts Not Just Good For Billionaires, Say Billionaires
January 28, 2025
A group founded by the billionaire Koch brothers is on a mission: to extend the massive tax cuts Trump instituted in his first term, and to convince working-class Americans that those cuts benefit them, too—despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Barron’s: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Could Play Havoc with the Economy
January 28, 2025
The White House is making good on President Trump’s campaign promises to eject unauthorized immigrants from U.S. soil, with deportation flights rolling out over the weekend. But the economic consequences of deportation and massive rollbacks on immigration could be severe.
Video: ITEP’s Marco Guzman Discusses the Tax Contributions of Undocumented Immigrants on Telemundo
January 27, 2025
ITEP Senior Policy Analyst Marco Guzman discusses the tax contributions of undocumented immigrants in this TV clip.
The Guardian: Charles Koch’s Network Launches $20m Campaing Backing Trump Tax Breaks
January 27, 2025
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the flagship political arm of the rightwing network formed by the fossil fuels billionaire Charles Koch and his late brother David, is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign backing Donald Trump’s plans to extend tax cuts and roll back federal regulations.
Salon: The High Opportunity Cost of Trump’s Economy
January 27, 2025
President Donald Trump is returning to the White House with the strongest economy in the world; unemployment is low, inflation continues to trend downward and growth is accelerating. Yet, Trump is about to unravel our post-COVID recovery with an attempt to enact a toxic economic agenda of tariffs, mass deportations and tax cuts for the mega-rich. All paid for with cuts to programs that benefit working class Americans.
Newsweek: California Braces for Donald Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
January 23, 2025
California is gearing up for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which includes mass deportations and sweeping raids targeting undocumented immigrants. Read more.
Business Insider: Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Could Drain More Than $20 Billion a Year from Social Security
January 22, 2025
President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans could have a significant economic side effect: draining the Social Security fund. As more Americans reach retirement age — many without adequate savings — Social Security can be a financial anchor. The checks average $1,976 monthly, and thousands of older adults told Business Insider they rely on the money to pay for essentials. However, the checks often […]
Audio: ITEP’s Eli Byerly-Duke Discusses California’s Tax System with Stew Jenkins
January 22, 2025
ITEP State Policy Analyst Eli Byerly Duke appeared on the SLO County Public Policy & The Law program on K-News 98.5 to discuss California’s tax system. Listen here.
Money: Congress Is Gearing Up for a Fight Over Trump’s Tax Cuts
January 20, 2025
Once the fanfare of Donald Trump’s inauguration fades, Congress has to get to work on taxes — and it won’t be pretty. At issue is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which was a hallmark of Trump’s first term. Abbreviated TCJA, the law made sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code that slashed the […]
Audio: ITEP’s Marco Guzman Talks to NC Newsline About the Costs of Mass Deportation
January 20, 2025
Among the actions that the new Trump administration is expected to make a top priority in the coming days is an aggressive new mass deportation initiative targeting the nation’s millions of undocumented immigrants. It’s a plan that may sound superficially appealing to many Americans, but as we learned in a recent conversation NC Newsline had […]
CNBC: These Five Republicans Are Ready to Derail Trump’s Tax Cuts Over the SALT Cap
January 17, 2025
An influential group of five House Republicans from high-tax states is threatening to hold up a major tax package that is a top priority for President-elect Donald Trump unless they get a significant boost to the amount that their constituents can deduct from federal income taxes to reflect state and local taxes already paid. Read more.
Members of the media rely on ITEP for analysis and insight about how tax policies affect people. If you’re a reporter looking to talk to one of our experts, contact Jon Whiten at [email protected].
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