Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa) is defending herself amid social media backlash, as the Republican lawmaker left what some users are calling a “ridiculous” tip at a restaurant — in an attempt to celebrate the GOP’s “no tax on tips” deduction passed earlier this year. 
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“Made a pit stop in Iowa County for lunch at Sun Down Bar and Grill,” Miller-Meeks wrote Monday on X, formerly Twitter. “I got to celebrate No Tax on Tips with our wonderful server, she’s thrilled about this provision and excited to keep more of what she earns!”
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An accompanying image of her receipt showed Miller-Meeks had a $7 order of corn nuggets and a $10 Philly cheesesteak sandwich, which came to a total of $18.19, after adding local sales tax. The photo showed Miller-Meeks left $21 and small change on her table.
The pictured receipt notably confirmed that a 20% tip on the total bill would amount to $3.40.
“You’d think the server would at least get $5 since you’re using her as a political prop on a cash tip she wouldn’t have reported,” one user replied on X, with another person commenting: “I’ve never seen someone brag so hard about being such a cheap asshole.” 
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The congresswoman, whose post received nearly 10 million views and landed more than 2,000 comments, has since responded to the reactions with a statement from a spokesperson — which slammed Democrats and noted that she paid acceptable gratuity.
“The Congresswoman left a 20% tip, and unlike Democrats, she did not vote to increase taxes on hardworking Iowans,” Miller-Meeks’ communications director Anthony Fakhoury told CBS 2 Iowa in a statement Tuesday. “‘No Tax on Tips’ means more money in the pockets of servers, not the IRS.”
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While the backlash exclusively centered on what critics called the “stingy” gratuity Miller-Meeks paid, the “no tax on tips” deduction itself has been criticized for its limitations ever since President Donald Trump signed it into law as part of the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” earlier this year.
Trump hailed the measure as a triumph, fulfilling his campaign vow of ending taxes on tips. In reality, it merely provides a tax deduction on up to $25,000 of tip income — and only applies to federal income tax — meaning workers still have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on tips.
Social media users ultimately weren’t concerned with those details Monday, with many aghast that Miller-Meeks tried to champion her party by tipping “only” $3 on her lunch. 
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
