Samarth Gupta
@samarthgupta.bsky.social
Formerly at the Treasury Department, OMB, and Biden campaign/transition. Fellow at Roosevelt Institute and SIEPR.
There's still time to register for the @rooseveltinstitute.org #HotTaxFall event tomorrow! FT Tax Wonks: @bdgesq.bsky.social @samarthgupta.bsky.social @natekelly.bsky.social And other wonks: @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social @suzmkahn.bsky.social
Whose Code Is It Anyway? Tax Reform as Democracy Reform
events.zoom.us
Why are some Democrats tempted to keep Trump’s unpopular and ineffective global tariffs around after 2028? They raise revenues. But there are much better ways to do that. www.thecaucus.news/p/democrats-...
Democrats’ Delicate Dance on Tariffs
There is no need to double down on the unwise ideas of a historically unpopular president
thecaucus.news
New: The federal income tax has 7 brackets today. That may seem normal, but it’s a historical anomaly. There were once 56 brackets, and there were 14 as recently as the 1980s. But, like it did much else, Reaganism broke our brackets. @samarthgupta.bsky.social has a new brief on how to fix them: 🧵
Reaganism Broke US Tax Brackets. It’s Time To Fix Them.
The US once had dozens of income tax brackets. Samarth Gupta argues that restoring more brackets at the top would better address today’s extreme income inequality, raise revenue, and give policymakers...
rooseveltinstitute.org
NEW: On Tax Day, @samarthgupta.bsky.social argues in @ms.now we’re using a tax system built for a different era. With just 7 brackets, different incomes are being taxed the same. More brackets would better capture the gap between the top 1% and 0.01% and raise more revenue from the ultrarich.
Opinion | It's time to re-examine America's tax code madness
Samarth Gupta: Why more brackets would be better for American taxpayers
ms.now
There's been a robust debate about California's proposed wealth tax. The debate is dominated by bad faith arguments. Here's what critics get wrong about wealth taxation—and what they should be arguing about instead. www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/debunking-... 🧵
Debunking the Wealth Tax Discourse
What critics get wrong—and what they should be arguing about instead
wickedgoodpolicy.com
'If the Supreme Court, on the other hand, permits the President to issue tariffs under IEEPA, it will shape the future of US international economic policy in both predictable and unpredictable ways' writes Samarth Gupta.
The US Supreme Court's Tariff Trolley Problem
The US Supreme Court must soon decide on the future of American international economic policy and the power of the American presidency.
rusi.org
A trip to Disney or a family outing to Fenway used to be a little splurge but manageable. Something you could do each year. Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy. www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Americana’s Price of Admission
Needs vs. wants, the middle class, and what the affordability debate is missing
wickedgoodpolicy.com
Trump has promised to impose "secondary tariffs" next week on Russian energy sales to force Putin's hand. He's right to try to change Putin’s calculus, but is approach is misguided. Let's unpack why. thehill.com/opinion/inte...
There’s a better approach for Trump to change Putin’s calculus
He’s right to recognize that pressuring the Kremlin’s main cash cow is a way to grab Putin’s attention, but his approach is counterproductive and incomplete.
thehill.com
A lot to like: ▫️Sec. 208 - NEPA reforms ▫️Sec. 209 - Innovation Fund for localities to boost supply ▫️Sec. 301 - Modular and prefab units ▫️Sec. 405 - Voucher reform to streamline unit inspections There's plenty of bipartisan things to move the ball forward. www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/min...
Scott, Warren Announce Markup of Landmark Bipartisan Housing Legislation from Banking Committee Members | United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
The Official website of The United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
banking.senate.gov
The @evictionlab.bsky.social and @zoningatlas.bsky.social are both indispensable public goods. In every American town and city, there's now no denying the scale of the housing crisis and a root cause of it. ▪️https://www.zoningatlas.org/ ▪️https://evictionlab.org/
National Zoning Atlas
The National Zoning Atlas is digitizing, demystifying, and democratizing information about zoning conditions in more than 33,000 jurisdictions in the U.S. — empowering advocates, revealing insights, a...
zoningatlas.org
Sara C. Bronin@sarabronin.bsky.social · last yr.The Massachusetts Zoning Atlas is now live - & today, the @bostonglobe.com's @andrewbrinker.bsky.social covered key findings: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/17/b... Tomorrow, at noon in Boston, @zoningatlas.bsky.social is presenting our findings IN PERSON. RSVP link here: zoningatlas.org/massachusetts
With additional resources, the IRS had: - lowered call wait times from 28 to 3 minutes - Improved its level of service from 15% to 88% - Provided 11,000 more hours of in-person support - Launched Direct File - Doubled audit rates on the wealthy and cracked down on e.g., corporate jet loopholes
Richard Rubin@richardrubindc.bsky.social · last yr.IG update: As of May, IRS workforce was down 25% from this year's 103,000 starting point. Pretty even spread over job types, including a 26% decline in revenue agents (auditors). Here are all the details: www.tigta.gov/sites/defaul...
The abundance agenda is absolutely necessary to solve our country's housing crisis, but it's not enough. We'll likely only have one shot at meaningful federal housing legislation and we have to make sure it meets the full breadth and depth of the problem. www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/abundance-...
Abundance Is Necessary But Not Sufficient
Housing supply, affordability, and stability
wickedgoodpolicy.com
We've not only created a system where millions of families are trapped in homelessness, but we've also enabled their pain to become a big pay day for extractive businesses. A must read from @brian-goldstone.bsky.social: www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in Ameri…
Through the unforgettable stories of five Atlanta famil…
goodreads.com
Federal financing can mimic Medicaid expansion to direct more money toward high-poverty school districts. That money, in turn, could be used to get better teachers and mimic the Mississippi Miracle. www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/we-get-the...
We Get the Schools We Pay For
Three ways to boost quality and equality in America’s K-12 schools
wickedgoodpolicy.com
Evan Bonsall, former elected official in Marquette, Michigan and current high school social studies teacher, on what Dems have gotten wrong on education and where we can go from here... Check out Wicked Good Policy's first guest post 🔽 www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/5-hard-tru...
5 Hard Truths Democrats Must Face on Education
What is the state of America’s K-12 schools, and where we go from here?
wickedgoodpolicy.com
When Tim Walz became Kamala Harris's running mate, progressives highlighted policies passed. It could not have been possible without Melissa Hortman. -Free school breakfast and lunch -Restoring voting rights for felons -Paid leave Great piece by @gracepanetta.bsky.social 19thnews.org/2025/06/rep-...
Rep. Melissa Hortman, killed in targeted attack, was a champion for Minnesotan families
Hortman worked closely with Gov. Tim Walz to enact policies that prioritized children and expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming care
19thnews.org
Contrary to what it feels like on a social media news feed, the political power of celebrity endorsements in presidential elections is largely gone. Celebrity influence can still be decisive in politics, but it needs be local and issue-based. www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/trumps-rig...
Trump’s Right to Fear Celebrity Endorsements
Just not how they’re done today
wickedgoodpolicy.com
We can limit gun violence by subsidizing manufacturers and tech companies to build safer technology. We can pay for it by taxing the sales of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. The best part? It'd only take 50 votes in the Senate. www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/technology...
Technology & Tax Policy Can Curb Gun Violence
An idea to move smart-gun technology forward
wickedgoodpolicy.com
VP Vance: "If the IRS can go after you because of what you think or what you believe or what you do, we’d no longer live in a free country.”
The New Al Capone
The IRS took down mobsters, now Trump wants it to serve as his.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com
There’s still an off ramp from the road Trump is driving down. He'll take it if CEOs demand it. Once the economy regains stable footing, we can return to our regularly scheduled programming on regulation, spending, and taxes. It's Time for the Corporate Resistance: substack.com/@sg81/p-1616...
It's Time for the Corporate Resistance
In just 100 days, we're seeing the risk of irreversible damage to the U.S. economy
substack.com
SNAP, Medicaid, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit are lifelines to those most in need. But millions of Americans who qualify for these benefits don't receive them. Here's an idea to fix that:
We Need a Department of Benefits
Not enough people receive benefits they qualify for
substack.com
If you don’t mow your lawn, the grass doesn’t stop growing. But, Republicans are pretending that's not the case—that the debt won't rise with another round of tax cuts. They'll look away and leave future generations to clean up the mess. In @salonnewsroom.bsky.social: www.salon.com/2025/04/07/s...
GOP's magic math undermines Trump's tax plan
Republicans are wishing away the debt to give tax cuts to the wealthy
salon.com
Trump claims he won't cut a penny from Social Security, but it's just a trick we shouldn't fall for.
In which, I talk about teenagers stealing their parents' booze, Benoit Blanc, and how the President's tax proposal will gut Social Security: www.salon.com/2025/04/02/t...
Trump’s Social Security sleight of hand: MAGA’s magic trick will make your benefits disappear
The president’s promise to make Social Security great again is a charade
salon.com
To use Suzanne Mettler's term, we have a "submerged state." Americans don’t hear about the the policies they benefit from, but they do hear a lot about things like “Obama Phones” and their tax dollars going to Ukraine. Democrats need to find a way to change that. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Today in Wicked Good Policy, some thoughts on how and why to talk about the granular way DOGE cuts are hurting the very Americans that Trump claims to prioritize wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/grounding-...
Grounding Trump's Attacks on Agencies
An op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order targeting the CDFI Fund.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com
Gutting the CDFI Fund will hurt the very communities President Trump claims to prioritize. www.newsweek.com/trumps-lates...
Trump's Latest Executive Order Puts Rural Community Banks at Risk | Opinion
Community banks are vital to helping rural America solve economic challenges—from financing affordable housing to small business and agricultural loans.
newsweek.com
My first post in "Wicked Good Policy," a homage to home and a place to share thoughts on economic policy and politics. Subscribe for more! The next post will be an op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order and the CDFI Fund. wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Democrats' Housing Policy is Failing the Working Class
They must be unafraid of attacking restrictive zoning and building more public housing.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com
