Democrats take control of Congress in January. Representative LaHood was reelected, and ending double taxation of Americans abroad still has strong supporters in both parties.
Americans went to the polls on November 3, and the results will reshape Washington for the next two years. When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will control both the House and the Senate.
If you are wondering what this means for the effort to end citizenship-based taxation, this post is for you. The short version: the door is still open, and we intend to continue working with both parties to see residence-based taxation (RBT) enacted for Americans abroad.
Our champions are staying
Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL), who introduced the Residence-Based Taxation for Americans Abroad Act, won reelection on Tuesday by a comfortable margin in Illinois’s 16th District. He begins his seventh term in January.
That matters more than it may seem. A tax reform with the size and scope of RBT takes years to develop and move through Congress. To be successful, it requires a member who knows the file inside out and has standing on the tax-writing committee – the Ways and Means Committee in the House. Congressman LaHood is that member.
Similarly, Senator Todd Young, who was not up for reelection until 2028, continues to be our champion in the Senate. Our team has worked closely with both Congressman LaHood's and Senator Young's offices throughout this Congress, and that work goes on.
An issue that has never belonged to one party
Ending the double taxation of Americans abroad is one of the few tax issues that enjoys bipartisan support.
During the 2024 campaign, President Trump made the promise in plain words: “Once and for all, I’m going to end double taxation on our overseas citizens.”
On the other side of the aisle, Democrats Abroad has backed residence-based taxation for years. Most recently, in March 2026, its Taxation Task Force asked the House Ways and Means Committee to consider passing the LaHood bill. The new majority in Congress will now hear that request from its own side.
The reason for this rare bipartisan agreement is easy to see. Citizenship-based taxation weighs on teachers, nurses, retirees, small business owners and young families, wherever they live and however they vote. Some of them never chose to be American at all: they were born in the United States and left as small children.
Some fear that a Democratic majority will see this reform as a tax break for wealthy Americans who move to low-tax countries. The bill was designed with that concern in mind. Americans abroad would still pay U.S. tax on their U.S.-source income, and the wealthiest would face an departure tax, so no one takes advantage of RBT simply to avoid paying U.S. taxes. What the bill ends is the double burden on people who already pay their taxes on the income they earn abroad where they live abroad.
What a new Congress means for the bill
A new Congress convenes in January. Committees will reorganize, and new members will arrive with staff who have never heard of citizenship-based taxation. Our bill, however, is not starting from scratch: the text is written, it has been discussed at length and refined with congressional tax staff, and its supporters are known.
For a cause like ours, the new balance of power is an opportunity. For the next two years, any tax legislation will need a Democratic Congress and a Republican White House to agree. Reforms that already have friends in both camps start with a considerable edge.
We also come to this next Congress with something we lacked two years ago: documented cases. The letters and testimonials you have shared show members of Congress, in concrete terms, what the current U.S. worldwide tax system does to ordinary families. Those stories speak to Democrats and Republicans alike.
What we are doing, and how you can help
Two years ago, TFFAA had just been formed. Today it is the only organization working full time in Washington on this single issue. We are run entirely by volunteers, and most of our budget goes to our advocacy team on the ground in Washington.
In the weeks ahead, we will meet the offices of newly elected members and of the incoming committee leaders, Democrats and Republicans. We will keep working with Congressman LaHood’s and Senator Young's teams on the bill, and we will keep pressing for the updated bill to be scored by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the step that opens the door to real debate and movement on this legislation.
You can help right now:
Share your story or lend a hand. A few sentences about your experience show members of Congress what this law does, whatever their party. If you want to do more, sign up to help us reach Americans abroad in their own countries.
Donate. Every contribution keeps our efforts moving forward and our advocates in the room.
The election is behind us. The work ahead is the same as it was last week, and we are ready for it.
