On Tax Day, Patriotic Millionaires descend upon Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to raise their taxes

Today, standing steps away from the U.S. Capitol, the Patriotic Millionaires, along with Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD), Senator Edward Markey (MA), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17), and countless other organizations, demanded Congress tax the rich in order to defeat the oligarchs and billionaire class and advance a new kind of economy that works for everyone.

The “Tax the Rich, Make Life Affordable” rally highlighted efforts to reform the tax code for working people and to unrig our economic system that currently rewards wealth over work. During the press conference, speakers noted previous failures over the past 60 years to stem the growth of inequality and the billionaire class and the current administration’s priorities and policies that actually accelerated it. Several organizations noted their support for current bills in front of Congress that would raise taxes on high earners and bring much-needed economic relief to low- and middle- income people.

“While I’ve seen examples of the good that wealth can do, I have also seen all the ways it can lead to irreparable harm to our personal, political, moral, and societal well-being. There is a level of wealth beyond which it threatens the health and even the existence of our democracy and our economy. We cannot hand over the keys to our democracy to people who are unwilling to address the economic injustices that exist today,” said Patriotic Millionaire Scott Ellis, who spoke on behalf of the organization. “I joined Senator Van Hollen, Representatives Jayapal, Beyer, and DeLuzio, and others to urge our government leaders to deal with the money problem in our country head-on with solutions like those found in the Patriotic Millionaires’ MONEY Agenda platform. Every time inequality reaches extraordinary levels, we create a vulnerability to authoritarianism where money becomes power. If we want to unrig our economy, we need a bold, surprisingly simple economic vision. Millionaires like me who want a rich, stable, free country demand an economy that ensures it. That begins with commonsense revenue raisers and tax reforms that stop the accumulation of oligarchic concentrations of wealth.”

Today’s rally also follows an increase in state momentum to pass legislation to tax the rich in light of federal inaction on the issue. States like Massachusetts, Maryland, and Washington state have passed their own laws to raise taxes on high earners and the wealthy in recent years, with states like California, Virginia, and others now considering similar actions. Speakers pointed to these efforts as evidence that federal lawmakers should proactively address economic inequality.

“Our federal tax code is stacked in favor of the wealthy, especially those who make their money off of money – while disfavoring working Americans who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. My Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act creates a fairer system that ensures those who are stretching to make ends meet can keep more of what they earn, while asking the well-off to pitch in more. It’s long past time that we rebalanced our tax code to put working people first – and promote greater opportunity and shared prosperity for all,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD).

“Our government has a fiscal recklessness problem, and it looks like this: the richest people in the history of Earth facing lower tax rates than Americans who earn a paycheck,” said Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17). “Yet that is the Republican plan—jack up the national debt and slash healthcare and more for the American people to pay for these huge tax giveaways to corporations and the ultra-rich. We need a vastly different approach, like passing the Ultra-Millionaires Tax to get some sanity back into our tax system.”

Over the past several months, the Patriotic Millionaires saw two elements of its legislative platform, The MONEY Agenda, introduced in both chambers of Congress. The first component, the Equal Tax Act, was introduced in the Senate by Senator Edward Markey in March and in the House by Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) in September. It would ensure millionaires and billionaires, who earn most of their money passively through investments, pay the same tax rates as working people and close other common loopholes used by the super rich to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. In March, the second component, known as the “Cost of Living” Tax Cut Act, was introduced as the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act in the Senate by Senator Chris Van Hollen and in the House by Representative Don Beyer (VA-08). The legislation would provide a substantial tax cut for working people, paid for by a surtax on millionaires.

“We welcome the introduction of the Equal Tax Act. Investment income being taxed less than income from work is one of the most glaring examples of how the ultra-wealthy exploit and rig our broken tax system to their advantage,” said David Kass, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “It's only reasonable that Wall Street elites and the ultra wealthy should not be made to pay lower federal tax rates than nurses, teachers, and most working Americans. These changes are long overdue and mark a vital step toward a fairer tax system that ensures these ultra-wealthy individuals pay their fair share like everyone else.”

“As an organization that fights for women and girls, we know that we can’t achieve gender justice without tax fairness,” said Emily Martin, Chief Program Officer at the National Women's Law Center. “Through their tax agenda, Republicans in Congress and the Trump-Vance administration have made it crystal clear that their priorities lie not with women and families, but with the billionaire class. Women and their families deserve a government that ensures the wealthy pay their fair share, invests in health care, child care, and education, and builds an economy that works for everyone—not just billionaires and big corporations.”

“The affordability crisis isn't an accident. It's the result of policy choices that protect concentrated wealth over the prosperity of working families,” said EJ Juárez, State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Executive Director. “We know that when extreme wealth goes unchecked, the costs get passed down to working families: in rent, health care premiums, childcare bills, groceries, and electricity. In 2025 alone, billionaire wealth grew 22%—from $6.7 trillion to $8.2 trillion—while working families see the cost of living go up, and wages too low. That is why SiX is working alongside state legislators across the country to lead the way. Across all 50 states, lawmakers are advancing bold solutions to make the ultra-wealthy pay what they owe, close corporate loopholes, and build tax systems that actually lower costs and empower working families. Together, states are proving a better future is possible.”