One tax code for the rich, one tax code for the rest of us

Yesterday marked the end of tax season. And I'm especially enraged by this harsh reality that our country is a tale of two tax codes: one where teachers, firefighters, and hardworking Americans pay taxes out of each paycheck – and one that favors the ultra-rich and allows them to get away without paying their fair share.

Before Trump's second term, Democrats made big progress to hold tax cheats accountable and ensure everyone pays what they owe. Democrats gave the federal government the resources it needs to go after tax cheats and hold them accountable.

So you can guess what was first up on the chopping block when Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies made it to the IRS. Yep, you guessed it. They immediately moved to gut the enforcement mechanisms at the IRS that allow them to identify and go after wealthy tax cheats.

It's a tale as old as time: nothing unites Republicans like making it easier for rich people to cheat on their taxes.

This isn't just unfair to the millions of hardworking Americans who dutifully pay taxes out of every single paycheck — it's damaging our economy at a time when Trump is doing everything he can to destroy it. According to Treasury and IRS officials, the Trump administration's gutting of federal enforcement could cost our country more than half a trillion dollars in revenue this year.

Countless programs that Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling could thrive with an extra $500 billion. Child care, early education programs, Social Security, Meals on Wheels, you name it. But for Trump and DOGE, giving billionaires a free pass to cheat on their taxes is at the top of the to-do list.

For an administration that claims to care about rooting out fraud and waste, it sure doesn't seem interested in collecting revenue from wealthy people cheating on their taxes.

It is critical that we work to fix the damage Trump has done to the IRS. I'll continue demanding transparency and standing firm for policies that make sure everyone plays by the same rules, and I'll keep shining a spotlight on Trump's deliberate sabotage of our government and economy.

If Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress think the American people aren't going to notice this, they couldn't be more wrong.

More soon,

Ron