The legislation was introduced as part of long-standing Democratic efforts to obtain more information about Trump’s financial situation. | Getty Images New York Legislature passes bill to share Trump’s state taxes with Congress

ALBANY — The New York Assembly passed legislation Wednesday that will let New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance share political officials’ state tax returns with congressional committees, giving Democrats new ammunition in their attempt to obtain more information about President Donald Trump’s finances.

“It is extremely important that we have transparency when it comes to tax returns,” said Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-White Plains), the bill’s sponsor. “No one should be above the law.”


The state Senate passed the bill two weeks ago. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has said he is “supportive” of the proposal, is expected to sign it.

The legislation was introduced as part of long-standing Democratic efforts to obtain more information about Trump’s financial situation. Once it becomes law, the chairs of the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee or Joint Committee on Taxation would be able to obtain most of the president’s state returns by submitting a written request.

The unofficial 84-53 tally in the Assembly was an uncommonly narrow margin in a legislative chamber with 107 Democrats and 43 Republicans.

The Democrats who voted "no" mostly held their tongues, but Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (D-Bronx) received applause when saying he was “extremely troubled” by the proposal.

“Make no mistake, I have complete disdain with what is going on in this administration in Washington,” Benedetto said. “But when I see a couple of bills coming to us which the purpose is obviously political in nature, then it gives me pause. We are traveling down a path that we should not be traveling down: No Legislature should craft legislation for political reasons just to get a few people they consider their enemies.”

Both the Assembly and Senate also passed on Wednesday a second bill that makes technical changes to the first. Most significantly, it changes the original bill to limit Congress to requesting the returns of New York taxpayers who serve in high-level office at the federal, state or local levels of government.

Congress, of course, would need to request the records to obtain them. The bill has been backed by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). But the one House Democrat with the power to obtain them under New York’s new law, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), has been less enthused. A spokesperson of his recently told Bloomberg that the state forms aren’t what he’s focused on.

Buchwald, for his part, expressed optimism that the new law will be helpful to Neal’s committee.

“The House Ways and Means Committee is already on record as having interest in those returns,” Buchwald said after the vote. “They’ve made those requests to the commissioner of Internal Revenue and the Department of Treasury. They’ll obviously evaluate upon the enactment of this law whether this course is right for them, though I think if they are not successful elsewhere, they should avail New York’s opportunity.”