Families Over Billionaires is an activist group formed following the second election of President Donald Trump in November 2024 that opposes potential tax cuts for high-income earners and businesses. The director of Families Over Billionaires is Michael Linden, a former Democratic Party policy advocate, while the group was allegedly started with “eight-figure” funding. ¹

Founding

Families Over Billionaires is an activist group formed on January 25, 2025 following the second election of President Donald Trump and the start of the second Trump administration. The group was created to act as a “centralized war room” to challenge potential tax policies promoted by the new administration, specifically potential tax cuts for high-income Americans and businesses. ^{2 1 3} According to the group, the administration has planned to increase taxes on low- and middle-income Americans, grant major tax benefits to the top five percent of income earners, and increase healthcare costs. ⁴

According to the organization’s opening press release, the campaign was started with “eight-figure” funding. ^{2 1}

The press release announcing the group’s creation included endorsements from U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), former director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young, and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president April Verrett. ¹

Policy Advocacy

On February 3, 2025, Families Over Billionaires released a statement condemning the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) public-advocacy head Elon Musk for freezing expenditures and cutting the budget of USAID. In a press release, Families Over Billionaires director Michael Linden claimed that “Elon Musk is recklessly and illegally slashing funding to cover up for the trillions of dollars in tax handouts he wants for himself and his fellow billionaires.” ⁵

Also in February 2025, Families Over Billionaires announced it was starting a campaign to serve as a “centralized war room” to counter efforts by President Trump and Republican members of Congress to extend 2017 tax cuts that will expire at the end of the year. The statement further read, “Hardworking Americans are tired of billionaires and corporations getting massive tax cuts at the expense of everyone else.” ⁶

Leadership

Michael Linden is the director of Families Over Billionaires and the only member of the organization mentioned in its opening press release. Linden was listed as a senior policy fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth since July 2023, and previously worked at the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to this, Linden worked as the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative; a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute; a policy and research managing director at The Hub Project; a senior advisor to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; a senior advisor to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee; and in several roles at the Center for American Progress (CAP). ^{1 7}

Partners

Families Over Billionaires lists the following organizations as partners: Americans for Tax Fairness, Economic Security Protection Action, the Economic Security Project, Fair Share America, Moms Rising, the National Education Association, Unrig Our Economy, the Service Employees International Union, the Indivisible Project, Caring Across Generations, Community Catalyst, the First Focus Campaign for Children, and the National Women’s Law Center. ^{8 1}

On the Families Over Billionaires’ website, the “Resources” page links to articles on tax policies by Americans for Tax Fairness, Accountable.US, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, and the Center for American Progress. ⁹

1. “New Campaign Launches to Stop Republicans from Betraying Working Families by Giving Tax Cuts to Billionaires and Big Corporations.” Families Over Billionaires. January 30, 2025. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.familiesoverbillionaires.org/2025/01/30/new-campaign-launches-to-stop-republicans-from-betraying-working-families-by-giving-tax-cuts-to-billionaires-and-big-corporations/
2. Schneider, Elena. “Dems launch group to hit Trump on tax cuts.” POLITICO. January 30, 2025. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/30/democrats-launch-group-hit-trump-tax-cuts-00201445.
3. Goba, Kadi. “Why a veteran Democratic hand sees his tax work as nonpartisan.” Semafor. February 4, 2025. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.semafor.com/article/02/03/2025/why-a-veteran-democratic-hand-sees-his-tax-work-as-nonpartisan.
4. “Homepage.” Families Over Billionaires. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.familiesoverbillionaires.org/.
5. “Families Over Billionaires Statement on Harmful and Illegal Attacks on USAID.” Families Over Billionaires. February 3, 2025. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.familiesoverbillionaires.org/2025/02/03/families-over-billionaires-statement-on-harmful-and-illegal-attacks-on-usaid/.
6. Streb, Audrey. “Leftist Group ‘Families Over Billionaires’ Undermining Trump Admin In Cahoots With Billionaires.” Daily Caller, February 12, 2025. https://dailycaller.com/2025/02/12/leftist-group-families-over-billionaires-undermining-trump-admin-cahoots-billionaires/
7. “Michael Linden.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-linden-50a4b16/.
8. “Who We Are.” Families Over Billionaires. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.familiesoverbillionaires.org/who-we-are/.
9. “Resources.” Families Over Billionaires. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.familiesoverbillionaires.org/resources/.