Schumer calls out Trump for ‘selective amnesia’ on SALT

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called out former President Trump on Wednesday for pledging ahead of an event on Long Island, N.Y., to restore the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which he capped in his 2017 tax reform law.

Schumer accused Trump of “selective amnesia” for now positioning himself as a champion of unlimited SALT deductions and declared that Trump’s latest campaign pledge is just an empty promise.

“Donald Trump did it again, totally reversing himself, claiming that he will reverse the cap on state and local deductions. But Donald Trump must be suffering from selective amnesia, because he was the one who took away people’s SALT deductions in the first place,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Trump touted his new position on SALT deductions ahead of a campaign rally on Long Island, where individuals and families pay high state and local taxes and in past years had relied heavily on the deductions to reduce their tax burdens.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? VOTE FOR TRUMP! I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and so much more,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Vice President Harris is expected to win New York, but Trump’s performance on Long Island could help decide the outcome of competitive House races on Long Island in the 1st, 3rd and 4th congressional districts.

Schumer called Trump out by reminding colleagues and C-SPAN viewers that the $10,000 cap on SALT deductions was a centerpiece of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

“Now that he is on Long Island, Donald Trump’s selective amnesia kicks in, and he totally reverses himself on SALT. But we know Donald Trump. We know what his M.O. is. He’s going to do nothing. He is simply trying to escape the anger of many families he’s upset when he placed those caps, which affect so many middle-class people, particularly in higher-cost areas like Long Island,” he said.

Schumer argued that the main reason Congress hasn’t repealed the SALT caps over the past seven years is because Republicans in Congress have insisted on keeping them in place.

And he pledged he would do everything he can to let the caps expire at the end of next year.

“As long as I am leader, I’ll do everything in my power so that when these caps expire at the end of next year, they will not come back,” he said.

The SALT cap has divided both parties, with progressive Democrats and Republicans from some districts arguing in favor of the $10,000 cap.