By Hank Russell
A group of Republican House representatives fired off a missive announcing that they will not vote for a proposed change to the State And Local Taxes (SALT) cap that they say does not go far enough.
The House Ways and Means Committee recently announced a proposal that would triple the cap from $10,000 to $30,000 as part of President Donald Trump’s tax bill. But the New York contingent — comprised of Nick LaLota (R-Rocky Point), Andrew Garbarino (R-Patchogue), Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) and Elise Stefanik (R-Plattsburgh) — has let Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told the committee that they will not vote for the bill unless the proposed cap is higher.
They also rejected the income threshold of $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for couples. The four New York GOPers called for the cap to be raised to $62,500 and adjusted for inflation, according to Bloomberg. Further, they are also looking for the income threshold to be raised.
“We’ve negotiated in good faith on SALT from the start — fighting for the taxpayers we represent in New York,” the four said in a statement. “Yet with no notice or agreement, the Speaker and the House Ways and Means Committee unilaterally proposed a flat $30,000 SALT cap — an amount they already knew would fall short of earning our support. It’s not just insulting—it risks derailing President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.”
When asked about the proposed cap, Johnson was quoted by Bloomberg as saying, “There were lots of numbers discussed.”
As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, LaLota told the audience at a Long Island Association meeting that he would not vote for any tax bill that does not include raising the SALT cap. He argued that the write-off is not for the rich, but to provide relief to middle-class families on Long Island who are already burdened with the high cost of living.
Garbarino said he met with Trump at the president’s Mar-A-Lago residence in Florida and was told by Trump that he fully supports the SALT cap.
Both LaLota and Garbarino know there will be a fight against fellow Republican members in Congress from low-tax states who oppose raising the cap.
“New Yorkers already send far more to Washington than we get back — unlike many so-called ‘low-tax’ states that depend heavily on federal largesse,” the New York GOP representatives stated. “A higher SALT cap isn’t a luxury. It’s a matter of fairness. We reject this offer.”
Jason Smith (R-Missouri), chair of Ways & Means, was supportive of the proposed tax bill, including the $30,000 cap. “This bill delivers on what Americans voted for with President Trump’s promise to put America First – with tax policies that reward hard work, bring jobs back home, increase opportunity, and rebuild the economy for the working class,” he said in a statement.
A debate on the tax bill is scheduled for May 13.