Megan Romer, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), encountered difficulty articulating the organization's specific tax policies during a recent interview with The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast. When pressed by host David Remnick to define what "taxing the hell out of millionaires" means, Romer was unable to provide a clear, detailed answer.
During the August 7 interview, Romer initially responded with "Uhhhh, yeah, you know, again, I don't have like a solid [answer]... but I think-" when asked for specifics. Remnick questioned the lack of clarity, to which Romer replied, "Um, that's a good question." She then shifted the focus to concepts of dependence and exploitation, stating, "We don't want to depend on the existence of millionaires because that means people are still getting exploited." Romer concluded the exchange by saying, "So yeah, we need to look at what we need to pay for in the interim, what sort of tax base we need for that to happen, and build from there."
Romer indicated she was "less concerned about millionaires, more concerned about billionaires" and suggested that the method of wealth accumulation is more important than an arbitrary monetary limit. She posited that most billionaires acquire their wealth through significant exploitation of the working class.
Following the interview, Romer faced online reactions expressing surprise at her lack of clarity. One X user commented, "So her solution is: 'we'll have to look at it'. Uhhh...lady......why haven't you already looked at it?"
Later, in response to a direct query on X, Romer provided more concrete details on the DSA's tax proposals. These included "Higher marginal income tax rates (above 90% at high levels), high inheritance taxes, caps on earnings for CEOs (prob tied to average worker salary), capital gains taxes, significantly increased taxation and reporting on offshore accounts, high taxes on second (+) homes, etc."
The DSA describes itself on its website as an activist organization dedicated to reforms that empower working people, with the goal of ensuring working people run the economy and civil society. The organization's recent successes include Democratic primary victories for DSA-backed candidates such as Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, with support from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also a DSA member. 
