Top Democrats Plot Strategy to Counter Trump’s Tax Plan Ahead of Midterms

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Bente Birkeland
February 13, 2025
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7 minutes read

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Top Democrats are gearing up for a renewed battle over former President Donald Trump’s tax policies, strategizing ways to counter his push to extend the 2017 tax cuts. According to Axios, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) met Wednesday to discuss how Democrats can go on the offensive against Trump’s plan, using it as a key campaign issue in the lead-up to next year’s midterm elections.

The meeting focused on reviving the messaging strategy that helped Democrats win major victories in 2017 and framing Trump’s tax policy as a giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of everyday Americans. Democrats are preparing to deliver a “unified message” that ties Trump’s tax cut extensions to broader Republican efforts to slash federal programs.

“Democrats are salivating at the opportunity to message against even deeper tax cuts being paired with broad slashes in federal spending, especially on health care,” Axios reported. Despite holding little power to block Trump’s legislative agenda outright, Democrats see the GOP’s tax plans as a political gift, arguing that the proposed cuts overwhelmingly benefit billionaires while ordinary Americans bear the financial burden.

Donald Trump — (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

“This is all about clearing the path to cutting taxes for billionaires, and making the American people foot the bill,” Schumer reportedly told colleagues during the meeting. Democratic leaders believe that pairing tax cuts with sweeping budget reductions—particularly in healthcare—creates a clear contrast for voters ahead of the midterms.

The strategy recalls their successful 2017 efforts to capitalize on public frustration over Trump’s first round of tax cuts, which they argued disproportionately benefited corporations and the ultra-wealthy. The renewed battle over tax policy comes at a time when Trump’s administration is already facing criticism for aggressive government restructuring efforts.

Democrats intend to link the tax cuts with broader concerns over Trump’s governance, painting the GOP’s economic policies as a return to trickle-down economics that prioritizes the rich while slashing essential services. As midterm campaigns take shape, Democrats are positioning Trump’s tax policy as a defining issue, hoping to rally voters around economic concerns and frame the GOP’s fiscal strategy as a direct threat to working-class Americans.