One of the first things Republicans did after taking control of both chambers of Congress following their sweeping 2024 victories was to make the tax cuts passed during President Donald Trump’s first term permanent.
Trump signed the historic legislation on July 4, 2025 – a bill that not only codified the tax cuts, but also allowed Americans to pay no taxes on overtime or tips, up to a certain amount, for the next three years.
Not a single Democrat voted for the package, which saved the average American worker thousands of dollars per year.
But now that the midterms are approaching and it’s not at all clear that Democrats will be able to retake control over the House or Senate, many of them are grasping at anything they can to help their campaigns.
Including taking credit for tax cuts they voted against.
On the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday accused congressional Democrats of attempting to take credit for policies they unanimously opposed, while instead supporting what he framed as what would have been a $5 trillion tax increase.
“With their unanimous opposition to the Working Families Tax Cuts, Congressional Democrats in unison voted against no tax on tips and overtime, the doubled child tax credit, $50 billion for rural healthcare, and investment accounts for every newborn in America,” Johnson said in a press release.
“Now, as tens of millions of citizens are benefitting from this historic tax relief, Democrats are attempting to mislead the American people and claim credit for something they opposed vehemently,” Johnson said.
The speaker argued that Republicans will continue reminding voters that, had Democrats succeeded, Americans would have faced what he called “the largest tax increase in American history.”
Johnson’s office also highlighted several Democrat lawmakers it said have recently embraced provisions of the tax package despite voting against the legislation.
Among them, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., introduced legislation that would permanently establish Trump Accounts under the new name “American Dream Accounts” while also making the law’s “No Tax on Tips” provision permanent.
Johnson’s office also noted that several Nevada Democrats—including Reps. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee, along with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen—urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure the successful implementation of the no-tax-on-tips provision after opposing the broader legislation.
The office further pointed to Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who said there were “certain things” in the bill that he supported before later backing legislation to expand eligibility for the law’s no-tax-on-overtime provision.
According to Johnson’s office, the law has provided widespread tax relief over the past year.
Citing Internal Revenue Service data, the office said 97% of tax filers received a tax cut, with the legislation’s individual tax provisions returning an estimated $82 billion to taxpayers.
Johnson’s office also said more than 7.5 million taxpayers claimed the law’s no-tax-on-tips deduction, nearly 29 million claimed the no-tax-on-overtime deduction, and almost 40 million families benefited from the expanded child tax credit.
Republicans have promoted the legislation as a key part of President Donald Trump’s second-term economic agenda, arguing that it increases take-home pay, expands tax relief for families and seniors, protects family farms and small businesses, and creates federally funded Trump Accounts for eligible newborns.
During last year’s debate over the measure, Democrats falsely claimed that portions of the package disproportionately benefited higher-income Americans and expressed concerns about its long-term fiscal impact.
However, some Democratic lawmakers have since supported or introduced legislation to expand individual provisions included in the law, because they see how popular it has become.
No doubt President Trump, who is planning on hitting the campaign trail ahead of the midterms to promote this and other GOP successed, will remind voters on the stump that all Democrats opposed making the cuts permanent, regardless of what many of them are saying now.
