As vice-chair of the congressional SALT caucus, Kean promised he would fight to fully restore the SALT deduction, but it was all posturing. Kean came up short with only a temporary $40,000 deduction and faced criticism for not fighting harder for a full restoration.
Kean Said As Vice-Chair Of The SALT Caucus He Hoped To Fully Restore Federal Deductions Of State And Local Taxes. According to the New Jersey Hills, "Within those concentrations, one area Kean hopes to most immediately impact is decreasing tax burdens. As vice chair of the bi-partisan Congressional SALT Caucus, Kean aims to fully restore federal deductions of State And Local Tax (SALT) payments capped at 10 percent in 2017, especially impacting N.J. residents. ‘This is an issue that is very important to my constituents,’ said Kean, who hopes full restoration of the deductions will be passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump by May. ‘What people need is predictability in the tax code, and more affordability.’" [New Jersey Hills, 2/17/25]
Kean Said He Was Fighting For A Full Restoration Of The SALT Deduction. According to an interview with Tom Kean, Jr. in the New Jersey Globe, "INTERVIEWER: Do you think that a full restoration of the SALT deduction is in the cards right now? KEAN: I’m fighting for a full restoration. We shouldn’t start any negotiation from a point less than that. We’re going to be focusing on the broader package; the rest of the 2017 tax structure created economic opportunities, but the SALT deduction cap was unfair to the families of New Jersey, and we need to get it restored." [New Jersey Globe, 3/4/25]
Kean Said There Needed To Be A SALT Restoration In Any Tax Package For Him To Vote In Favor Of It. According to an interview with Tom Kean, Jr. in the New Jersey Globe, "INTERVIEWER: Are you telling leadership right now, “If you don’t do SALT restoration, then you lose my vote on X or Y”? Is that where you’re at right now? KEAN: I’ve been very clear, both last year and this year, that we need to have SALT restoration in any tax package that’s coming out of Congress in order for me to support it." [New Jersey Globe, 3/4/25]
6/21/25: Kean Said He Was Willing To Stand Up To The Senate And Vote Against The Reconciliation Bill If They Returned A Draft Without An Adequate SALT Deduction Proposal. According "A group of Senate Republicans seeks to remove the cap increase from the Senate version of the bill, to decrease deficit spending. Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections show the House version would add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit during the next decade. ‘I will stand up against the Senate,’ said Kean, who will have an opportunity to weigh in on any version of the bill that is passed by the Senate, because it will be returned to the House for approval or negotiation before it can become law. ‘I will vote against any package that does not include the affordability solution that I helped craft that passed the House of Representatives.’" [New Jersey Hills, 6/21/25]
Kean Claimed He Was Meeting With Speaker Johnson To Discuss The SALT Deduction And Said He Would Not Leave New Jersey Behind. According to a post on Rep. Tom Kean, Jr.’s Twitter, "I am headed into a meeting right now with Speaker Johnson and several of my colleagues to discuss the SALT Deduction. Let me be clear: I will not support a tax package that leaves New Jersey behind. I am standing strong in these negotiations to find the right compromise. We will get the job done." [Twitter, @CongressmanKean, 5/15/25]
2025: Kean Voted For The FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill That Included $3.8 Trillion In Tax Cuts Offset By $1.5 Trillion In Spending Reductions To Programs Like Medicaid And The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In May 2025, Kean voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, “the bill that would provide for approximately $3.8 trillion in net tax cuts and $321 billion in military, border enforcement and judiciary spending, offset by $1.5 trillion in spending reductions, as instructed in the fiscal 2025 budget resolution (H Con Res 14). It would raise the statutory debt limit by $4 trillion and provide for increased spending on defense and border security, spending cuts on social safety net programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It also includes a mix of tax breaks for businesses and individuals; tax increases on universities and foundations; and a phase-down of clean energy tax credits. […] It would reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by requiring states to shoulder more of the cost, expand work requirements for SNAP, extend programs authorized under the 2018 farm bill, and prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from increasing the cost of the Thrifty Food Program. As amended, it would cap state and local tax deductions at $40,000 for households with incomes below $500,000.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 215 to 214. [House Vote 145, 5/22/25; Congressional Quarterly, 5/22/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
July 2025: Kean Voted For The Senate FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill That Extended $4 Trillion In Expiring Tax Cuts, Added New Tax Breaks, Appropriated $448 Billion In Defense, Border, And Immigration Enforcement Funding, Increased The SALT Deduction To $40,000, And Cut Medicaid And Other Social Programs To Offset The Costs. In July 2025, Kean voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill that would permanently extend nearly $4 trillion in expiring individual and business tax cuts, create several new tax breaks and fund border and immigration enforcement and air traffic control upgrades. It would cut Medicaid and other safety net programs to partly offset the cost. Among other provisions, it would raise the statutory debt ceiling by $5 trillion and appropriate more than $448 billion in mandatory funding for Trump administration priorities and other needs, including $153 billion for defense, $89 billion for immigration enforcement, and $89.5 billion for border control and security. It also would increase the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000 annually for five years for households making up to $500,000 a year until 2030, when it would permanently revert to $10,000.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 218 to 214. [House Vote 190, 7/3/25; Congressional Quarterly, 7/3/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
The Republican Budget Bill Raised The SALT Deduction Cap From $10,000 To $40,000, But Only From 2026 To 2029 And Then It Reset To $10,000 Again In 2030. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, "OBBB makes major changes to the SALT deduction for individuals, families, and certain businesses. These changes will cost around $140 billion over 10 years relative to continuing TCJA’s $10,000 SALT cap. Individuals and Families Effective 2025, OBBB: Increases the $10,000 SALT cap to $40,000. Phases down the $40,000 SALT cap (to $10,000) at a 30% rate for taxpayers making over $500,000. The law increases the $40,000 SALT cap and $500,000 income threshold by 1% each year from 2026 through 2029, with the cap reset to $10,000 from 2030 onwards." [Bipartisan Policy Center, 6/9/25]
Sen. Andy Kim Sent A Letter To Kean Criticizing Him For Not Pushing Harder For A Full Repeal Of The SALT Cap. According to Politico, "‘Ironically, the SALT cap from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires this year if we do nothing. Doing nothing would be an improvement over the position that you and your party have put New Jersey families in for nearly a decade. Frankly, anything you vote for other than a full repeal of the SALT cap harms our constituents.’ — Democratic Sen. Andy Kim in a letter to Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. on the megabill, which raises the SALT cap to $40,000 but only for four years." [Politico, 7/2/25]