Liberal group urges passage of New York bill allowing Congress access to Trump’s state tax returns

The progressive group Stand Up America on Tuesday announced that it has launched an effort to encourage New York state lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow Congress to request President Trump’s state tax returns.

Stand Up America said that it has started efforts to have constituents call state senators to urge them to back the bill when it comes up for a vote. The group also said that its campaign will include digital ads, lobbying efforts and various grass-roots actions.

{mosads}Other organizations are also partnering with Stand Up America on the effort, including Americans for Tax Fairness and Public Citizen.

Under the bill, known as the TRUST Act, the chairmen of Congress’s tax-writing committees would be able to request New York state tax returns from the state’s department of taxation and finance, so long as the request has a legitimate legislative purpose and lawmakers have requested related federal tax returns from the U.S. Treasury Department.

The bill passed a New York state Senate committee last week and is listed on the state Senate’s floor calendar.

The push for the bill’s enactment comes as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday rejected a request from House Democrats for copies of Trump’s federal tax returns. 

State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D), who offered the bill, said on Twitter Monday that Mnuchin’s denial of Neal’s request “increases the sense of urgency that Albany must act now to provide the House Ways and Means Committee with the president’s state returns.”