The House ways and means committee released redacted versions of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, capping a three-year legal battle.
In a statement, House Ways and Means Chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said the move came out of a balance-of-power check on how the IRS enforces the tax code on presidents. He said that was “the first time” such a request from the committee was denied.
“[A]t the root of it all, it is our federal tax system that funds the democracy we all cherish and love,” Neal said. “A president is no ordinary taxpayer. They hold power and influence unlike any other American. And with great power comes even greater responsibility.”
Trump had refused to release his tax returns throughout his presidency, something presidential candidates have voluntarily done since the 1970s. White House spokespeople repeatedly and falsely claimed Trump could not do so because he was under audit.
An IRS requirement dating back to 1977 orders audits of a president’s tax filings, according to the Associated Press, which noted there were audits of President Joe Biden’s tax filings for 2020 and 2021. The report on Trump’s returns “found that there was only one mandatory audit started and none completed during his four years in office,” and described the audit program as “dormant, at best.”
View the redacted versions of Trump’s tax returns (Attachment E) here.
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