Vulnerable battleground Dem embraces 'no tax on tips' after voting against Trump bill
Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-N.M., voted against the package that implemented President Donald Trump’s "no tax on tips" law despite calling for a permanent implementation of the policy just a month...
By Fox News · Fox News
Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-N.M., voted against the package that implemented President Donald Trump’s "no tax on tips" law despite calling for a permanent implementation of the policy just a month later. "Tipped workers deserve to take home more of their hard-earned pay," Vasquez told local outlets in August. Vasquez, along with the rest of his Democratic colleagues, voted against President Donald Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill," which became law on July 4 and included the no-tax-on-tips provision. 'FLIP FLOP': DEMOCRAT FIREFIGHTER IN TIGHT HOUSE RACE BLASTS POPULAR TRUMP POLICY HIS NATIONAL UNION SUPPORTS But unlike most Democrats who have soundly condemned almost every facet of the tax and border security package, Vasquez’s call to further extend portions of the bill highlights his attempts to win over one of the most competitive districts in the country. To at least one Republican onlooker, it’s a thinly-veiled ploy to sway on a policy he ultimately tried to stop. "Defund the police Gabe Vasquez wants to raise taxes, rip away benefits from workers, and make families’ lives harder. New Mexicans want none of Vasquez’s radical agenda," Reilly Richardson, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Responding to questions about his vote, Vasquez's campaign said he had opposed other measures included in the Big Beautiful Bill, such as reforms to Medicaid parameters that implemented an 80-hour work requirement for non-disabled adults ages 19-64 beginning in 2027. "Vasquez would have happily voted for a permanent no tax on tips policy that didn't kick millions of hardworking families off Medicaid and food assistance and push our rural hospitals to the brink of closure," Patricia Socarras Santiago, a campaign spokesperson, said. The campaign also highlighted recent jobs reports, arguing that Trump's proposals weren't doing enough to confront job stability in the hospitality industry. "The Administration's latest…