Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler stood alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for today’s briefing on this challenging Tax Day. Just kidding—this day still sucks, but this administration has offered real relief to working families.
Leavitt launched the first salvo, pointing out that this administration correctly believes Americans are better at managing their own money than the government is, and that the tax relief millions benefited from this year was opposed by every Democrat in Congress. The media has ignored this fact and the benefits of the tax cut bill. Americans were facing a $4 trillion tax hike, with an average increase of 22 percent.
It's Tax Day, and @PressSec brought the receipts to show just how the Trump Tax Cuts are helping American families 🇺🇸🔥
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 15, 2026
Reminder: EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT voted against these cuts! pic.twitter.com/n3OtpEWqo9
Mr. Bessent described this season as “fantastic,” praising the promises made and kept, which was the Trump White House’s motto, along with the tax cuts codified in the big, beautiful bill. There were record refunds for Americans, with over 45 percent of filers claiming one of the four deductions under Trump’s signature tax bill. Five million Americans applied for Trump accounts.
He also listed a brief rundown of the numbers:
As of April 12, over 53 million have filed their taxes, with 45 percent claiming one of President Trump’s signature tax cuts:
- The average tax cut per filer is over $800
- The average refund is $3,400
- Six million claimed the no tax on tips provision, with an average deduction of $7,100
- Over 25 million claimed no tax on overtime, with an average deduction of $3,100
- Over 30 million were eligible for the enhanced deduction for seniors, with the average deduction of $7,500
- Over 1 million claimed the car loan interest on American cars, which saved them $1,800
- Over 34 million families have claimed the GOP-enhanced child tax credit
- Over 70 percent think they’re overtaxed. The Trump administration made things a little less painful this year, with Bessent adding that they’ve done more with less.
Ms. Loeffler did not mince words that if the Trump tax cuts weren’t made permanent under last summer’s reconciliation package, millions of jobs could have been on the chopping block. So far, 12 million small businesses have an average tax savings of $7,000. With Trump’s tax cuts for small businesses now permanent, there is certainty, providing “jet fuel” to potentially create one million new jobs.
She noted the easing of regulations and deductions that impacted overhead and research and development, while noting workers taking advantage of extra shifts for overtime and companies that greatly benefited from this domestic package: Eric Williams at Prince Manufacturing is reinvesting his savings into the company and hiring 500 new workers.
Here's a more detailed fact sheet, Mr. Bessent mentioned a lot of this before he took questions from the media:
- Bigger Refunds: The average refund this filing season is over $3,400 – 11% higher than last year, and 19% higher than the average return over the prior 4 years.
- Broad-Based Relief: This landmark legislation is putting more money back into Americans’ pockets and providing real relief. We’ve seen an overwhelming adoption of the President’s key tax priorities, with 53 million Americans (45% of all filers) benefiting from at least one of President Trump’s signature new tax cuts.
- No Tax on Tips: More than six million Americans have claimed No Tax on Tips, with an average deduction of over $7,100, providing meaningful relief to service workers who rely on gratuities.
- No Tax on Overtime: Over 25 million Americans have benefited from No Tax on Overtime, with an average deduction of over $3,100. Even legacy media outlets admit this tax provision is wildly popular, including among Democrats.
- No Tax on Social Security: A new deduction made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts ensures an overwhelming majority of seniors will pay no tax on their Social Security income as a result of deductions exceeding taxable social security income. Over 30 million seniors have claimed this deduction, with an average deduction of over $7,500.
- Simpler Filings: Over 105 million filers have claimed the permanently Doubled Standard Deduction, simplifying tax filing for millions across America.
- Small Business Relief: Nearly 12 million small business owners are seeing an average tax reduction of nearly $7,000, while the permanent extension of the 20% Qualified Business Income deduction is delivering $4,600 in average relief to eight million entrepreneurs.
- Investing in the Next Generation: Parents of nearly five million children have claimed Trump Accounts on their returns – tax advantaged savings accounts that give the next generation a jumpstart on saving.
- Enhanced Child Tax Credit: Over 34 million families have claimed the enhanced Child Tax Credit, which is permanently doubled and expanded by the Working Families Tax Cuts.
- Made-in-America Tax Breaks: More than one million Americans have claimed No Tax on Car Loan Interest, with an average deduction of over $1,800. This deduction is helping families afford reliable transportation while boosting U.S. auto jobs.
- Ensuring Tax Dollars Benefit Americans, Not Illegals: The Working Families Tax Cuts Act ensures American taxpayers are no longer funding benefits for illegals.
- Fueling Business Investment: The restoration of immediate deductibility for research and development expenses — applied retroactively — is freeing up $100 billion in prior-year deductions for tens of thousands of businesses, while full expensing allows companies to write off investments immediately, improving cash flow and fueling expansion.
- Supporting Family Farms: By raising the death tax exemption—increasing the amount family farms can inherit without paying taxes—two million family farms are being protected from excessive taxation.
- Incentivizing Adoption: The Working Families Tax Cuts Act significantly boosted tax incentives for families adopting from foster care, making up to $5,000 of the Adoption Tax Credit refundable.
- Improved Housing Affordability: The expanded low-income housing tax credit is incentivizing the construction of affordable homes for American families.
And Democrats opposed all of this, which places them in a pickle since these are all popular deductions that tens of millions of working families claimed. It’s almost as if the GOP is now the party of the working class. No, it is now.