House Dem forces GOP to take recorded vote on Trump tax returns
A House Democratic lawmaker attempted Monday to force a House floor vote on a resolution to request President Trump’s tax returns, but the effort failed on a party line vote, 229-185, with two Republicans voting “present.”
The move was the latest in a series of Democratic efforts to push Congress to request Trump’s tax returns, and Democrats demanded a roll call vote to force Republicans to go on the record.
The two Republicans who voted present were Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.) and Mark Sanford (S.C.). Sanford is one of the Republican lawmakers who has in the past called for Trump to release his returns.
After the vote, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) fired at the GOP.
“Tonight, House Republicans made themselves accomplices to hiding President Trump’s tax returns from the American people,” she said.
“Our security and our democracy have been endangered by Russia’s clear influence on the Trump Administration. The American people deserve the truth about Russia’s personal, political and financial grip on President Trump. If there’s nothing there, then what are Republicans afraid of?
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) offered a resolution that would have directed the House to request 10 years of Trump’s tax returns, have the House Ways and Means Committee review them in a closed session and then vote to send the information in the returns to the full House.
Under federal tax law, the chairmen of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees and the Joint Committee on Taxation can request tax returns from Treasury to be considered in a closed meeting.The resolution would also direct the House to “support transparency in government and the longstanding tradition of Presidents and Presidential candidates disclosing their tax returns.”
Pascrell read the text of his resolution on the House floor Monday evening, drawing a standing ovation from other Democratic lawmakers.
“Let’s shine a bright light on the president’s conflicts together,” Pascrell said after the bill was read. “We as a Congress and the broader American public can judge whether his decisions are being made for himself, his business interests, or for the greater good of the American people.”
Pascrell attempted to offer the resolution as a “privileged” measure. Under House rules, privileged resolutions have to be acted on within two legislative days.
But Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), the lawmaker presiding over the House, ruled that the resolution wasn’t actually privileged. Pascrell appealed the ruling, and lawmakers voted to table Pascrell’s appeal.
Democrats have expressed a desire to see the returns in order to learn more about the president’s conflicts of interest, because he has not sold his businesses. They have also argued that viewing Trump’s tax returns could be helpful in investigating Russia’s influence in the presidential election.
Trump was the first major-party presidential nominee in decades to refuse to release his tax returns. He frequently said that he wouldn’t make his returns public until the IRS finished auditing him. However, the IRS has said that an audit doesn’t prevent people from releasing their own tax information.
Some Republican lawmakers have also expressed interest in Trump releasing his returns. And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she was open to Congress issuing a subpoena for the returns during its probe into Russian involvement in the election.
But House GOP chairmen have been cool about the idea of seeking Trump’s tax returns. When House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) was asked earlier Monday if he would subpoena Trump’s returns, he said, “No, we’re not going to do that.”
Pascrell sent a letter earlier this month to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) asking him to request Trump’s tax returns from the Treasury Secretary so that they could be reviewed by the tax-writing panel in a closed session.
Brady responded by telling reporters that he would not seek Trump’s tax returns, citing privacy concerns.
“My belief is that if Congress begins to use its powers to rummage around in the tax returns of a president, what prevents Congress from doing the same to average Americans,” he said.
The day after Brady made those comments, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) offered an amendment to the Ways and Means Committee’s oversight plan that would have directed Brady to request Trump’s tax returns. But the committee voted against the amendment on a party-line vote.
Pascrell isn’t the only House Democrat this week trying to force a vote that would begin the process of investigating Trump.
The House Judiciary Committee will consider a resolution from Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday that would demand the Justice Department to hand over documents regarding Trump’s business conflicts of interest and possible ties to Russia.
Nadler invoked a rarely used procedure that automatically triggers a House floor vote if the resolution isn’t considered in committee within 14 legislative days.
As with Pascrell’s measure, GOP members of the Judiciary Committee are expected to vote to prevent Nadler’s resolution from moving forward.
Cristina Marcos contributed.
idealisticrebel 
There are some gray-haired old grannys in the government who need to retire .. and soon if you ask me. I wish Trump would come forth with his tax returns too but I am sure there are more important things on his plate at the present time. I am assuming the only reason the sore losing Liberals are wanting to see those tax returns is so they can search for something else to hold against the President. What other movitve could there be seeing as how the Left has this really egregious level of hate for the President who won the election they thought was in the bag for themselves.
We want to see the tax returns because every president in memory has showed the American people their returns. Trump acts like he has something to hide and that makes it important that his returns are opened to the light of day. People are not looking for things against Trump but they are responding to what he id saying and doing. Trump is the bringer of hate. The liberals, as you call us are not haters but are people who love every human being. We love the poor, the people of every color, every religion, and every economic level. We won’t allow women to be sent back to the nineteenth century. We won’t allow the GOP harm any of these marginalized people that he insulted and and made callus remark about. What he said about people…human beings was the worst I have ever heard a supposed presidential candidate ever express.
“Every president in memory has showed the American People their returns…”
Must be an awfully short memory! — Showing the American People presidential tax returns began with President Nixon in 1973 and this shortfall in your information makes the rest of the comment untenable. But It is interesting. I can allow that much. If we are going to make statements then we have to get the facts straight.