We worry about growing inequality and the dwindling middle class, and advocate various policies to reverse these trends. And yet at the same time, we talk about reducing or eliminating the tax deduction that does the most to promote a more equal distribution of economic well-being.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth greets Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli before the North Atlantic Council meeting of defense ministers on February 13, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana via Getty Images)