Join a Tax March Saturday to fight for transparency

Letter to the Editor Printed in the Des Moines Register 4/15/2017

President Donald Trump is violating our country’s basic democratic principle of transparency — and Rep. David Young is helping him get away with it.

During a February town hall, Rep. Young told us that when “you run for president, you’re president, you should release your tax returns. It’s a distraction and I think the American people should know.” Yet just a few days later, Rep. Young went back to Washington and voted against a resolution that would force Trump to release his tax returns from the past 10 years.Rep. Young’s two-faced position on Trump’s tax returns is cynical even for a politician — and dangerous for our democracy. One of the most important constitutional responsibilities of Congress is to serve as a check on the president. Yet, despite the fact that the FBI is investigating the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, Rep. Young won’t stand up and ensure that the American people have a full understanding of their president’s potential conflicts of interest.The American people need a full and complete picture of Trump’s income and investments to know all the possible ways he could make money off the presidency. That’s why I’ll be joining the Des Moines Tax March on Saturday, April 15. Our leaders — starting with Trump and Rep. Young — are accountable to the American people. Instead of hiding the truth and working in the shadows, Rep. Young should stand with his constituents and demand that Trump immediately release his tax returns.— Adam Mason, State Policy Organizing Director at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement