Trump Grills NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo in White House Over Late-Term Abortion Bill
President demands answers from New York governor over Reproductive Health Act
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President Donald Trump sat down with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to discuss revisions to Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul, which the Democratic governor claims is driving the wealthy out of the state.
While Cuomo was in the White House, Trump shifted the discussion to voice his concerns about the state’s late-term abortion bill.
Cuomo was in Washington DC to discuss the $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes (SALT), a measure he contends is contributing to a dip of more than $2 billion in tax receipts.
The Democrat governor claims the highest earners in the state are leaving because the deduction cap is causing substantial increases in their federal tax bills.
The same holds true for residents in California and New Jersey.
"President Trump talked about the positive impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the American economy, and the president listened to the governor's concerns regarding SALT,” a statement from the White House read.
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According to Fox News, prospects for new tax legislation that would expand or remove the $10,000 cap are slim, given the Republican majority in the Senate concern about potentially increasing the deficit without corresponding new revenue sources.
Michael Zona, a spokesman for Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, said:
"It's ironic that the same Democrats who criticized the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for supposedly benefiting only the wealthy are now advocating for a change to the law that would primarily benefit the wealthy.”
But Tuesday's conversation wasn't limited to taxes and tax legislation.
Trump took aim at Cuomo and other Democrats over controversial late-term abortion legislation recently rolled out in New York and Virginia.
“The president raised his concerns to Governor Cuomo about Democrats’ support of late-term abortions,” the White House statment read.
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Cuomo recently defended the legislation, which would permit abortions to be performed in New York by non-doctors up until the point of birth for a variety of reasons.
“The Catholic Church doesn’t believe in a woman’s right to choose. Yes, I understand their religious view,” he said.
“But I'm not here to legislate religion.”
Trump has said he wants Congress to pass a ban on late-term abortion of fetuses that "can feel pain in the mother's womb" — an unlikely proposition, given Democratic control of the U.S. House.
