Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) ripped Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney late Tuesday, saying Mulvaney wants to “screw” New York under the GOP’s tax reform proposal.
King in a tweet also noting Superstorm Sandy aid said Mulvaney probably “feels inferior” because “New York subsidizes his state of South Carolina.”
“From Sandy aid to tax reform @MickMulvaneyOMB tries to screw New York. Probably feels inferior because New York subsidizes his state of South Carolina,” King tweeted.
Officials in blue states like King’s have slammed the GOP tax-reform bill for including a provision to eliminate state and local tax deductions that are currently used by millions of Americans every year. Eliminating the deductions would cause taxes to go up faster in states such as New York, where the income tax is higher.
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Republican leaders in Congress have dismissed such criticism, saying that it isn’t “fair” for other states to “subsidize” states with higher income tax rates.
“Is it fair that other states subsidize states that have high state taxes?” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) asked on Fox Business Network last week.
“Look at California. California is one of the most mismanaged, highest-tax states in the nation. And they use an argument inside that Capitol, ‘Let’s raise taxes, as you can write it off on your federal income tax.’ Well, that’s not fair for all of America.”
The GOP-held Congress is currently pushing for tax reform to be finished before the end of the year. Tax reform is the Trump administration’s second major legislative push, and the last of 2017, after a last-ditch effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare failed in September.
This report was updated at 8:53 a.m.