Santos’ First House Bill Would Lower Property Taxes

The New York Times reports:

Representative George Santos has had a hard time making new friends or winning support in his first few months in Congress. On Tuesday, Mr. Santos tried a new tactic: He introduced his first bill, seeking to partially undo President Donald J. Trump’s tax plan that limited how much homeowners could deduct in state and local property taxes.

The bill places Mr. Santos, a Republican of New York, at odds with some in his own party. But Mr. Santos is not exactly one of the party’s favorites, and he seemed more interested in currying favor with his constituents, whose high property taxes make them disproportionately affected by the limits to the so-called SALT deduction.

Bloomberg News reports: 

This bill likely won’t ingratiate Santos, 34, with his colleagues in the House, where dozens of members, including some fellow New York Republicans, are pushing to expel him from the chamber.

Representative Nick LaLota, another Long Island Republican, who has called for Santos’s ouster, said he would reject the SALT proposal, despite supporting increases to the cap.

“Let’s not pretend anything George Santos does is serious,” he said. “There’s great ideas about SALT. They’re not going to come from George Santos.”

Rep. George Santos introduced his first bill on Tuesday, seeking to raise the cap on the so-called SALT deduction, a move that puts him at odds with his party, but would help his constituents. https://t.co/Zv9syVnAiq

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 2, 2023

Rep. George Santos’ first bill in Congress aims to boost the deduction from $10,000 to $50,000. https://t.co/sqUu6Bn7o0

— Neil Johnson (@thetaxdude) March 2, 2023