Hawley says working-class Americans should get payroll tax cut

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Tue Apr 15, 2025, 07:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: The Hill

04/15/25 11:10 AM ET


Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who could emerge as a key vote on President Trump’s agenda, says working-class Americans should be able to take tax deductions on their payroll taxes, which would save thousands of dollars for families earning less than $80,000 per year.

Hawley, who has already come out against steep cuts to Medicaid, is laying down another marker for lower- and middle-income individuals and families in his home state by arguing that working-class Missourians should also see their taxes cut this year. “The negotiations over President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ budget bill have to date included surprisingly little talk of tax cuts for the people who need them most: America’s working class,” Hawley wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

“Blue-collar workers haven’t gotten a real pay raise in decades. Mortgages are unaffordable. Rent is unaffordable. Groceries are unaffordable,” Hawley wrote. “All of this takes a toll on the spirit as much as the checkbook.” Hawley says Republicans can start repairing the eroding buying-power of working-class Americans by “giving them the biggest working-class tax cut in our history.”

He says they should make the largest income tax credits — the home mortgage deduction, the child tax credit and the charitable deduction — available to all Americans who pay payroll taxes, which fund Social Security and Medicare.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5249484-sen-hawley-tax-relief-proposal/

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He's suddenly trying to be "populist". I suppose because he is up for re-election in 2026. ETA - just got re-elected in 2024.

[returnee]

1. Would that not affect Soc Sec funding?

A back door approach to eliminating it?

[travelingthrulife]

4. Yup. Cutting FICA and end social security.

[LiberalArkie]

7. Not really. A person pays the SS and Medicare tax on the total income earned.

The tax deduction comes the next year that is deducted from the amount due for the taxes on the earned amount.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. But he is in favour of the largest tax Increase on working class Americans, a very regressive tax. He voted for it.

That would be the tariff tax which hits working class people much harder than people in Hawley's wealth and income bracket. He voted (as far as I know) for Congress to give away its power to levy tariffs or block tariffs. Congress voted to allow tRump's declaration of fake emergency to continue until much later in the year.

[leftieNanner]

3. He was just reelected last year

Next run due in 2030.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Okay thanks!

There is something odd going on with him for sure.

[leftieNanner]

12. Agreed

[Strelnikov_]

5. Finally, a Republican that understands how to implement National Socialism

The other fascists seem to be forgetting about the Socialism part.

Maybe setting himself for after they pin everything on Orange Julius, which is inevitable.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

22. The Repubs have to run someone in '28 ...

... if the Old Man is not available or someone enforces the 22nd amendment. Vance is not a shoe in.

I could see Hawley trying to set himself up as the friend of the little people.

[doc03]

6. How about just making the rich pay for once?

[lastlib]

8. In the end, Runnin' Josh the Coward will just.....

give it all to the billionaires and big corps. Like he always does.

[slightlv]

9. What a great, insidious way to defund Social Security and Medicare

while looking like a populist doing it. Damn, these people are evil!!!!

[OrangeJoe]

20. Here's a plan Josh

Lower the SS rate from 6.5% to 5% for low income people. Couple this with popping the cap and making all earned income subject to FICA taxes.

[hadEnuf]

11. Screw that little seditionist bastard.

n/t

[Jack Valentino]

13. Blue collar workers haven't gotten a real pay raise, partly because Repukes have BLOCKED any raise in

the Federal minimum wage for decades! I think we know how Hawley voted on that one...

No, Social Security cannot afford a tax cut--- what should happen is that UPPER CLASS taxpayers
should be paying MORE into the system!--- remove the "cap" and let them pay the same percentage rate
into Social Security as the working class does--- tax ALL of their income for Social Security!

[Picaro]

14. Higher income people

Need to pay higher payroll taxes.

Math is really simple sometimes.

That thing about no longer having to pay into SS once you’ve made $x in a year. That needs to stop.

I’m talking about people like me and my wife.

We can afford it. And the 1%—they can reaaaaaally afford it.

[patphil]

15. Why not? Give the middle and lower classes a few pennies, while giving the rich millions, or even billions.

But at the same time, take away government services that could cost the middle and lower classes tens of thousands of dollars each year.
And that's just the financial loss. We're talking about the health affects of destroying agencies that protect against environmental degradation, workplace safety, health insurance, health research, and assistance in times of weather or natural disasters, to name a few.

The Trump government is engaged in the largest organized theft of wealth in world history, and we are being given pennies so we can feel good about it.

[BlueSpot]

16. What if

Could it be possible he's seen the light and has an idea of what is coming? Who would execute CYA ( Cover You're Ass) better than the guy that egged on the rioters and then ran from them like a scared little bunny?

I will die hopeful I suppose.

[LudwigPastorius]

17. Eat me out, Josh.

You voted for the Trump bill that eliminated deductions in the first place, asshole.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article180926371.html

[IronLionZion]

18. Blatantly trying to cut funding for Social Security and Medicare

that's what payroll taxes pay for.

[Deminpenn]

19. Reading the entire story, this is not a cut in FICA

The proposal is to allow those who pay little to no income tax to take deductions that they don't now get. It's closer to being a way to expanding the EITC.

Later in the story, it reports that Hawley is open to letting the highest tax rate revert to 39% and/or creating a new tax bracket for people making over 1M, iirc, to pay for his proposal.

To me, this is significant because it shows the growing economic populism (rich vs poor) is getting through to the pols in Washington, even to RW'ers like Hawley.

[OrangeJoe]

21. Nope BAD IDEA!

As I read the proposal it will reduce the amount collected by the Social Security Administration. This will lead to Medicaid quickly running out of money and shorten the time until SS can no longer pay 100%. Next step; the hedge fund boys step in and get everyone to invest that SS tax into individual stock portfolios.

[Deminpenn]

25. This proposal is NOT cutting FICA

or giving the employed a FICA "holiday" from paying these taxes for a short period of time. Nor is it a proposal to allow low income earners to deduct FICA taxes on their federal income taxes.

FICA taxes are taken directly from employees paychecks and matched by employers.

The proposal is to allow these low income files to qualify for deductions they might not now get that higher income individuals are able to use.

[OrangeJoe]

26. A quick question

According to your understanding will the federal government collect fewer dollars from either employers or employees or both under this proposal? If they don't exactly what is the benefit to the taxpayer?

[Bengus81]

27. But he votes for Trumps budget which last I heard kills the mortage interest

deduction. Did they change that? That will kill the real estate market.

[Javaman]

23. there are guys who just beg to be kicked in the nuts. nt

[HeartsCanHope]

24. Never trust this guy. He's been a loser since his term as the Missouri Attorney General.

The republicans in Missouri sued him for not living in Jefferson City, MO when he was attorney general. He had a house in Columbia, MO and thought he was too special to have to follow the law! He also flouted the law about having to have a residence and live in Missouri during his first term in the Senate. He bought a house in Virginia and tried to use his sister's house as his residence! He has always tried to pretend he is a man of the people, but he went to a private school, and then Stanford and Yale. Don't know how he got re-elected, but now we're stuck with this loser till 2030! Everyone should carefully read the fine print on this legislation. Hawley hasn't passed ANY significant legislation, and hasn't brought home any significant monies to Missouri either. He sits on his butt and votes no on anything that is worthwhile. He is worthless.