Every Senate Democrat voted against the largest tax cut in American history last July.
Now Cory Booker wants credit for proposing one.
He announced the Keep Your Pay Act this morning – the same man who called Trump's tax cuts a "moral obscenity."
Booker Voted No on No Tax on Tips the No Tax on Overtime and the Biggest Tax Cut in History
Booker didn't just vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill last summer.
He delivered a 25-hour speech railing against it.
He called Trump's tax relief a betrayal of "hard-working families."
He said the bill would help "the wealthiest few and the biggest corporations."
Not a single Democrat joined Republicans to deliver no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and the largest middle-class tax cut in history.
His Keep Your Pay Act Has No Cost Estimate and No Republican Support
Today's announcement is election-year theater.
Booker faces voters in November.
His new proposal would exempt the first $75,000 of household income from federal tax – and he wants families to believe he's the reason that sounds familiar.
It sounds familiar because Trump already did it.
The One Big Beautiful Bill delivered expanded child tax credits, eliminated taxes on tips and overtime, and cut the median family's tax bill by thousands of dollars.
Booker voted against all of it.
Now he's proposing a bill with no cost estimate attached – NBC News confirmed the proposal has no price tag – and no specifics on which corporate loopholes would be closed to pay for it.
Zero Republican support means it will never pass.
The press release is the point.
Booker Opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill and Now Wants Credit for a Tax Cut
This is the same playbook Democrats ran all of last year – attack the Big Beautiful Bill all summer, then pivot to claiming you support tax relief the moment you need votes.
Booker is eyeing a 2028 presidential run.
His seat is rated safe by Cook Political Report – he doesn't need this bill to win New Jersey.
He needs it to win Iowa.
The Keep Your Pay Act is a 2028 campaign launch dressed up as a tax proposal.
It tells progressive primary voters he can talk about tax cuts without actually delivering them – and signals to donors he isn't serious about corporate tax hikes either, since the bill names no specific rates or mechanisms.
Trump said it plainly when he signed the Big Beautiful Bill last July: Democrats would rather see working families pay more than give him a political win.
Booker proved that with his vote.
He voted no on your tax cut.
Now he wants your vote.
Sources:
- Eric Mack, "Sen Cory Booker proposes 'Keep Your Pay Act,' eliminating federal income tax on first $75,000," Fox News, March 9, 2026.
- Sahil Kapur, "Ahead of 2028, Sen. Cory Booker to unveil bill to make $75,000 in income tax-free," NBC News, March 9, 2026.
- "BOOKER ANNOUNCES Keep Your Pay Act," U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, March 9, 2026.
- "Every Democrat Just Voted Against Tax Cuts, Pay Raises, and More," The White House, May 22, 2025.
- "Senate Democrats Just Voted Against Lower Taxes, Higher Pay, National Security, and More," The White House, July 1, 2025.
- "Booker, Kim of NJ Vote Against Senate Budget Bill, Trump Cheers Its Passage," Patch, July 2, 2025.