January, 23 2019, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Ryan Thomas, Tax March
press@taxmarch.org
Zac Petkanas, Stand Up America
zpetkanas@zpstrategies.com
Tax March, Stand Up America, and Indivisible Launch Campaign Demanding Chairman Neal Stop Slow-Walking Push to Obtain Trump's Tax Returns
Progressive Groups Send Letter, Initiate Constituent Call Campaign To Demand Action
WASHINGTON
Earlier today, Tax March, Stand Up America, and Indivisible launched a campaign to urge House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal to stop slow-walking and to use his new gavel to immediately begin the process to obtain President Donald Trump's personal and business tax returns as a matter of congressional oversight.
To kick off this effort, the three groups sent a pre-formatted letter for Chairman Neal to send to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig requesting President Trump's tax returns. Citing the jurisdiction of the Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the authority granted under 26 U.S. Code SS 6103, the letter requests the personal and business tax returns of President Trump.
After a national call-in day that drove over 6,000 calls to Congress demanding Trump's tax returns, the coalition of progressive organizations are once again driving constituent calls and emails to Chairman Neal and other members of the Ways and Means Committee, urging them to obtain President Trump's tax returns to restore democratic norms of transparency.
"Democrats pledged to obtain Donald Trump's tax returns as part of their oversight agenda, and we will hold them accountable for that promise," said Maura Quint, Executive Director of Tax March. "There is no need to slow-walk this. We have played this game for years, and Donald Trump will not willingly release his tax returns. The only solution is for Chairman Neal to request his tax returns immediately."
"Enough with the delays. Chairman Neal has had two whole years of the Trump presidency to prepare for this moment," said Sean Eldridge, President of Stand Up America. "The American people have a right to know about how the commander-in-chief's actions in the White House have been influenced by his foreign business entanglements, including his secret negotiations with the Kremlin, and how his corrupt tax plan put money in his own pocket."
The text of the full letter sent to Chairman Neal is included below.
# # #
The Honorable Richard Neal
Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means
2309 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Neal,
As the newly appointed Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, it is your constitutional duty and responsibility to conduct effective oversight of President Donald Trump and his administration. Thus, on behalf of our organizations, respective members, and the more 125,000 Americans who took to the streets across the country to demand transparency from President Trump, we believe that it is vital that Congress performs its duties of oversight and obtain President Trump's personal and business tax returns immediately through the Department of the Treasury under the provisions of 26 U.S. Code SS 6103.
This request is not about partisan politics, but is rooted in an attempt to understand how President Trump's numerous conflicts of interests and significant financial entanglements are influencing the policies of this administration. This is also not a request that can be relegated to the back-burner--it is necessary to restore democratic norms of transparency and accountability.
To help you move this forward without delay, we have enclosed a draft letter for your Committee to send to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service.
We look forward to your swift action on this matter.
Sincerely,
Tax March
Stand Up America
Indivisible
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