Six years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns won't be released until after the Christmas holiday, according to the House committee that is reviewing the documents.
The Ways and Means Committee this week voted to make the tax returns public once they were redacted to remove key identifying information, such as account numbers. The earliest the information would be released is Dec. 27.
The returns, which are to include the personal and business filings from 2015 to 2020, will be the first complete look into Trump's tax records for the years he was running for office and in the White House. The documents must be made public before Democrats give up their House majority on Jan. 3.
The documents will shed light on the sources of the president's earnings and the taxes he paid. Earlier this week, the committee released summary reports that showed in 2020 he paid $0 in personal federal income levies. The report also said he claimed large deductions that Congress's non-partisan tax experts have said warrant more scrutiny.
The House Ways and Means Committee voted along party lines to make the returns public as part of its investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's presidential audit program, which found that the agency had failed to examine Trump's tax returns while in office.
The House passed legislation on Thursday that would mandate that the IRS conduct an annual audit of the president and then release the tax returns and examination results publicly. The Senate didn't act on it before adjourning for the year.
Such a bill would serve as a backstop for future U.S. presidential candidates who buck the decades-long tradition of making tax records public during the campaign.
It's unclear whether it could become law next year. Senate Democrats have pledged to take up the bill, but House Republicans, who will soon have a majority in the chamber, have criticized the proposal.
