Gillen Urges House and Senate Leadership to Begin Negotiations on Reinstating Full SALT Deduction
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2025
CONTACT: Vidhya Jeyadev, 202-669-5538
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) sent a letter to House and Senate leadership calling for negotiations on reinstating the full State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT) to give hard-working Long Islanders much-needed relief from double taxation. In her first week in office, Gillen is already leading the fight to give the middle class a tax cut and work across the aisle on this bipartisan priority for New Yorkers:
“I wrote to House and Senate leadership today calling for negotiations to end the double taxation of my constituents and fully reinstate the SALT deduction,” said Rep. Gillen. “This is a bipartisan priority for New Yorkers and the President-elect promised to end the SALT cap. Let’s get it done.”
Read the full text of the letter HERE and below.
The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House
H-232, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable John Thune
Senate Majority Leader
S-230, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries
House Democratic Leader
H-204, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Senate Democratic Leader
S-221, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510
Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Thune, and Minority Leader Schumer:
As the 119th Congress begins, I urge the leaders of both parties in Congress to immediately prioritize negotiations to reinstate the full State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction. As you know, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97) gutted this critical provision, imposing a $10,000 cap on the deduction. With key provisions of the law set to expire later this year and Congress considering a new tax package, I am committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to restore the full deduction and lower taxes for my constituents on Long Island.
As you know, state and local taxes were made deductible from federal income taxes in 1913 because of the fundamental principle that Americans should not be double taxed on the same income. However, the 2017 tax bill ignored this principle, imposing double taxation by capping the SALT deduction, costing hardworking families on Long Island tens of thousands of dollars. The bill harmed Americans in many states, including New York, where residents pay among the highest property taxes in the nation, and they send far more to Washington than they get back. The law also unfairly penalized married couples by imposing a $10,000 per household cap on two individuals who file jointly. Restoring the full SALT deduction is a critical, commonsense concern in my district. Prior to the 2017 tax bill, nearly 50% of all taxpayers in the Fourth Congressional District used the SALT deduction, with Nassau County residents deducting $26,259 on average. I am committed to working with anyone and doing everything possible to remove the harmful SALT cap, and secure much-needed relief for my constituents.
We must jumpstart bipartisan negotiations to prevent yet another devastating tax hike on families on Long Island and across the country. I am glad that President-elect Trump has now promised to "get SALT back." Congressional leadership should immediately get to work with the new Administration and members of both parties in Congress to negotiate in a constructive fashion to get this done. I am confident that there is a bipartisan path to eliminate the harmful SALT cap and restore the deduction as part of an upcoming tax package. I urge you to work with members of the bipartisan SALT Caucus, and the Long Island and New York Congressional delegations to preserve SALT, lower taxes, and cut costs for families. Thank you for your attention to this issue that is critical for Long Island, and I look forward to working together.