House Committee Approves Public Release of Trump's Tax Returns

The House Ways and Means Committee has obtained former President Donald Trump's tax returns, and is set to make them public within days.

The Details: Initial documents released by House Democrats show how Trump pulled in millions of dollars from investments between 2015 and 2020, while also claiming millions in real estate losses that reduced his tax burden. Trump paid $750 in income tax in 2016 and 2017, and $0 in 2020. In addition, Democrats say the IRS failed to maintain its mandatory presidential audit program while Trump was in office, and that they could only find proof of a single IRS audit during his presidency.

Key Quotes: "This is a major failure of the IRS under the prior administration, and certainly not what we had hoped to find," said Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

For Context: Neal mounted the legal fight to obtain Trump's tax returns back in 2019, and the Supreme Court ruled in Neal's favor last month.

How the Media Covered It: Left- and center-rated sources have covered the news more prominently than right-rated sources have. Many on the left frame the details of the returns as evidence of Trump's shady financial practices. Some center- and right-rated outlets focused more on issues with the tax system overall, like questions about the tax code and the IRS's reluctance to audit Trump, and were less likely to frame Trump negatively.