AFT President Randi Weingarten Praises House’s Removal of SALT Cap

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement congratulating the House of Representatives for voting today to remove the state and local tax cap by passing the Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act:

“Today’s vote is a victory for tens of millions of middle-class Americans who bought into the basic bargain of this country—that if you work hard and play by the rules, state and local governments would honor their side of the deal by providing the essential services to help them thrive—like public schools, hospitals and public safety.

“The SALT cap is a one-two punch to middle-class prosperity. Not only does it slug educators, nurses and public employees with unjust taxes, it goes further by targeting families—imposing an unfair and unjustifiable limit on deductions for married couples. I congratulate the House for coming together in bipartisanship on the eve of the holidays to end this charade and give educators, who pay hundreds of dollars each year for classroom materials out of their own pockets, much-needed relief in the form of a $1,000 tax deduction.

“The president, who campaigned on a pledge to help the middle class but instead seems intent on punishing them, should join in, and tell the majority leader to put this bill on the Senate floor as the first item of business in the new year.”