Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) tore into Republicans this week over a measure that would help private jet owners dodge taxes, drawing a pointed contrast with the everyday costs squeezing American households.
"Gas prices are soaring. Grocery prices are skyrocketing. Utility prices are increasing," Lieu wrote in a post on X. "What are Republicans and Trump focused on? Tax breaks for private jets."
"November is coming," he added, in a clear nod to the approaching midterm elections.
Lieu was amplifying a post from writer Matt Stoller, who framed the effort as Republicans "trying to exempt private jet owners from paying taxes" and mocked it as a showcase of "right-wing populism."
The provision they're reacting to, first reported by Politico, is tucked into an air-safety bill now moving through Congress. According to the outlet, the language would bar tax officials nationwide from using the identifying signals that aircraft are required to broadcast in flight to help enforce what owners owe.
Since 2020, Politico reported, the FAA has required planes to carry a satellite-based technology called ADS-B Out, which continuously transmits a plane's location, speed and identification number to make air-traffic tracking more precise. Tax collectors discovered the same data let them match aircraft to their owners — and to the property, sales and use taxes many had been skipping by registering planes in states like Montana or Delaware that don't charge them.
Politico reported that Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang said that the data helped his office identify an additional 1,000 aircraft since January, worth a combined $3.5 billion — roughly $35 million in local property taxes that owners had avoided. More than a dozen states use the data for tax enforcement, and Alabama estimated a ban would cost it $18 million a year.
Republicans and aviation groups counter that the technology was meant for safety, not revenue. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) said some states were "abusing" critical safety tech to impose unfair fees, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which has lobbied for the ban, called the tax use a "misuse of a safety tool." The Trump administration has sided with jet owners, with the FAA administrator telling lawmakers the agency "frowns on" using the data for tax collection.
Democrats argue the owners simply owe the money. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) described the targets as "extremely wealthy individuals who are not paying their taxes," and said the data lets her county collect what it's due.
The House passed its version in April. The Senate's bill leaves the provision out, and the two chambers are now negotiating a compromise. The underlying legislation traces back to the January 2025 midair collision over the Potomac that killed 67 people and pushed Congress to act on aviation safety.
