Congress finds the following:
(1)
In 1999, then presidential candidate Donald J. Trump said the following on Good Morning America regarding his wealth tax plan: “If I were president, it would be passed. I think if somebody else is president, it probably can’t be . . . This is a tax paid by 1 percent, but the 1 percent will be very big beneficiaries with what’s going to happen and the positive forces that would take place in the economy.”.
(2)
In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News in 2015, then presidential candidate Trump described his 1999 wealth tax plan as “a very conservative thing to do.”.
(3)
The proposed tax plan, according to then presidential candidate Trump, was expected to raise $5.7 trillion and pay off the national debt in its entirety at the time.
(4)
Many prominent analysts and conservatives have argued that reducing the national debt is crucial for our economic health and prosperity:
(A)
According to the Cato Institute, the U.S. is running $2 trillion deficits (more than 6 percent of GDP) with nearly $30 trillion in debt held by the public.
(B)
As Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated in an interview given in January of 2025, “I would like to see us as a nation do things that affect the long-term stability, future of our kids and our grandkids . . . We’re in a fiscal mess, $36 trillion in debt.”.
(C)
As Elon Musk stated in September of 2024 in a podcast appearance, “We're adding a trillion dollars to our debt, which our kids and grandkids are going to have to pay somehow . . .”.
(D)
According to the GOP Platform in 2016, “Our national debt is a burden on our economy and families. The huge increase in the national debt demanded by and incurred during the current Administration has placed a significant burden on future generations. We must impose firm caps on future debt, accelerate the repayment of the trillions we now owe in order to reaffirm our principles of responsible and limited government, and remove the burdens we are placing on future generations. A strong economy is one key to debt reduction, but spending restraint is a necessary component that must be vigorously pursued.”.
(5)
Since the beginning of the Global War on Terror, the overseas operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other War on Terror-related activities, have added more than $2 trillion to the national debt (according to figures by the Congressional Research Service and the Congressional Budget Office).
(6)
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” is projected to add more than $3 trillion to our national debt (according to the Congressional Budget Office).
(7)
If the Donald J. Trump Wealth Tax raises the $5.7 trillion that President Trump expected it would in 1999, it would reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio from an estimated 101 percent to 83 percent (according to the Congressional Research Service).