Congressional powers over the military, measures to make telehealth a long-term solution, and why Democrats want to get rid of the SALT cap.
The SALT tax deduction is a handout to the rich. It should be eliminated not expanded Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats have argued that lifting the cap on the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes (SALT) will help cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Christopher Pulliam and Richard Reeves say this is unlikely. In a new blog post and an accompanying New York Times op-ed, they show why lifting the SALT cap would be a massive tax cut for America’s wealthy. Read more Have questions for Pulliam or Reeves about their pieces on the SALT cap? They will be doing a Twitter Q&A this morning at 9 AM ET. Tweet your questions to them using the hashtag, #SALTCap. | How to make telehealth more permanent after COVID-19 The widespread adoption of telehealth services has reduced unnecessary hospital visits and ensured real-time access to medical providers for millions of Americans. Nicol Turner Lee and Niam Yaraghi write about the conditions that need to be met for telehealth to become a more long-term solution, including access to internet, national interoperability, fraud detection methods, and favorable regulations. Read more | Congress has broad power to structure the military—and it should use it Could Congress require that the secretary of defense, rather than the president alone, approve a nuclear weapons launch? Could it bar the president from removing a top general without cause? Zachary Price argues that the Constitution’s text and history support broad congressional authority to structure the military, assign duties to offices, and regulate military chains of command. Read in Lawfare | A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19: The Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. will be closed through at least January 4, 2021. For more information, read our full guidance here. As Brookings experts continue to assess the global impacts of COVID-19, read the latest analysis and policy recommendations at our coronavirus page or stay up to date with our coronavirus newsletter. | The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. | |