INTERNACIONAL
GOP push to make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, say going back would be a ‘dramatic’ change for many
Tax season is done.
And this year, Congressional Republicans converted tax season to «sales» season. Republicans and President Donald Trump are pushing to approve a bill to reauthorize his 2017 tax cut package. Otherwise, those taxes expire later this year.
«We absolutely have to make the tax cuts permanent,» said Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., on FOX Business.
«We’ve got to get the renewal of the President’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That’s absolutely essential,» said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., on FOX Business.
Rates for nearly every American spike if Congress doesn’t act within the next few months.
CONFIDENCE IN DEMOCRATS HITS ALL TIME LOW IN NEW POLL

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with the media after the House passed the budget resolution on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«We are trying to avoid tax increases on the most vulnerable populations in our country,» said Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee which determines tax policy. «I am trying to avoid a recession.»
If Congress stumbles, the non-partisan Tax Foundation estimates that a married couple with two children – earning $165,000 a year – is slapped with an extra $2,400 in taxes. A single parent with no kids making $75,000 annually could see a $1,700 upcharge on their tax bill. A single parent with two children bringing home $52,000 a year gets slapped with an additional $1,400 in taxes a year.
«Pretty significant. That’s an extra mortgage payment or extra rent payment,» said Daniel Bunn of the non-partisan Tax Foundation. «People have been kind of used to living with the policies that are currently in law for almost eight years now. And the shift back to the policy that was prior to the 2017 tax cuts would be a dramatic tax increase for many.»
But technically, Republicans aren’t cutting taxes.
«As simple as I can make this bill. It is about keeping tax rates the same,» said Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, on Fox.
Congress had to write the 2017 tax reduction bill in a way so that the reductions would expire this year. That was for accounting purposes. Congress didn’t have to count the tax cuts against the deficit thanks to some tricky number-crunching mechanisms – so long as they expired within a multi-year window. But the consequence was that taxes could climb if lawmakers failed to renew the old reductions.
«It sunsets and so you just automatically go back to the tax levels prior to 2017,» said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
A recent Fox News poll found that 45% of those surveyed – and 44% of independents believe the rich don’t pay enough taxes.
Democrats hope to turn outrage about the perceived tax disparity against Trump.
«He wants his billionaire buddies to get an even bigger tax break. Is that disgraceful?» asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at a rally in New York.
«Disgrace!» shouted someone in the crowd.
«Disgraceful! Disgraceful!» followed up Schumer.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., (R) speaks alongside Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., (L) to reporters during a news conference on the impacts of the Republican budget proposal at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Some Republicans are now exploring raising rates on the wealthy or corporations. There’s been chatter on Capitol Hill and in the administration about exploring an additional set of tax brackets.
«I don’t believe the president has made a determination on whether he supports it or not,» said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
«We’re going to see where the President is» on this, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent while traveling in Argentina. «Everything is on the table.»
A Treasury spokesperson then clarified Bessent’s remarks.
«What’s off the table is a $4.4 trillion tax increase on the American people,» said the spokesperson. «Additionally, corporate tax cuts will set off a manufacturing boom and rapidly grow the U.S. economy again.»
Top Congressional GOP leaders dismissed the idea.
«I’m not a big fan of doing that,» said House Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox. «I mean we’re the Republican party and we’re for tax reduction for everyone.»
FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY RESTRICTS DOGE ACCESS TO PERSONALIZED SOCIAL SECURITY DATA
«I don’t support that initiative,» said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on FOX Business, before adding «everything’s on the table.»
But if you’re President Donald Trump and the GOP, consider the politics of creating a new corporate tax rate or hiking taxes on the well-to-do.

Sunrise light hits the U.S. Capitol dome on Thursday, January 2, 2025, as the 119th Congress is set to begin Friday. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The president has expanded the GOP base. Republicans are no longer the party of the «wealthy.» Manual laborers, shop and storekeepers and small business persons now comprise Trump’s GOP. So maintaining these tax cuts helps with that working-class core. Raising taxes on the wealthy would help Republicans pay for the tax cuts and reduce the hit on the deficit. And it would shield Republicans from the Democrats’ argument that the tax cuts are for the rich.
Congress is now in the middle of a two-week recess for Passover and Easter. GOP lawmakers and staff are working behind the scenes to actually write the bill. No one knows exactly what will be in the bill. Trump promised no taxes on tips for food service workers. There is also talk of no taxes on overtime.
WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BLUNTLY SHOWS WHERE PARTIES STAND ON IMMIGRATION AMID ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION
Republicans from high-tax states like New York and Pennsylvania want to see a reduction of «SALT.» That’s where taxpayers can write off «state and local taxes.» This provision is crucial to secure the support of Republicans like Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. But including the SALT reduction also increases the deficit.
So what will the bill look like?
«Minor adjustments within that are naturally on the table,» said Rounds. «The key though, [is] 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate.»
In other words, it’s about the math. Republicans need to develop the right legislative brew which commands just the right amount of votes in both chambers to pass. That could mean including certain provisions – or dumping others. It’s challenging. Especially with the slim House majority.

People attend a press conference and rally in support of fair taxation near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on April 10, 2025. (Bryan Dozier / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
«There were trade-offs and offsets within that bill that many people are dissatisfied with,» said Bunn of the 2017 bill. «And it’s not clear how the package is going to come together with those various trade-offs.»
Johnson wants the bill complete by Memorial Day. Republicans know this enterprise can’t drag on too late into the year. Taxpayers would see a tax increase – even if it’s temporary – if working out the bill stretches into the fall when the IRS begins to prepare for the next tax season.
It’s also thought that finishing this sooner rather than later would provide some stability to the volatile stock markets. Establishing tax policy for next year would calm anxieties about the nation’s economic outlook.
«The big, beautiful bill,» Trump calls it, adding he wants the legislation done «soon.»
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And that’s why tax season is now sales season. Both to the lawmakers. And to the public.
Politics,Taxes,Congress,Donald Trump
INTERNACIONAL
Cuban coast guard kills four in exchange of fire with US-registered boat

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Cuba’s coast guard shot dead four people and wounded six others aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat in an exchange of fire off the island’s coast, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry said a Cuban patrol vessel had approached the Florida-registered boat to identify those on board when «shots were fired from the boat,» wounding the captain of the Cuban craft.
«As a result of the clash… on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed, and six others were wounded,» the statement said.
The ministry added that the injured were evacuated and given medical treatment. It did not immediately provide further details on the identities or nationalities of those involved, nor specify the exact location of the incident.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
cuba,crime world
INTERNACIONAL
El gobierno impulsa ampliación de áreas agrícolas para potenciar producción de tomate en El Salvador

El Gobierno de El Salvador está ampliando las áreas cultivadas dentro del Programa Aumento a la Producción, con un enfoque especial en el impulso al cultivo de tomate. El viceministro ad honorem de Agricultura y Ganadería, Óscar Domínguez, informó que se están sumando 80 manzanas destinadas exclusivamente a la siembra de tomate a cielo abierto, acompañadas por 18 estructuras de cultivo protegido, cada una con una extensión cercana a una manzana.
Este esfuerzo busca aprovechar terrenos con vocación agrícola, fortalecer el trabajo en el campo y consolidar el compromiso de los productores. Domínguez explicó que el avance en la producción de tomate es parte de una apuesta nacional por expandir la frontera agrícola, generar más oportunidades para los habitantes rurales y mejorar la autosuficiencia alimentaria. Además, precisó que estas nuevas áreas son adicionales a las 2,400 manzanas ya activas en otros rubros agrícolas, lo que refleja la magnitud del programa y su impacto creciente en el territorio salvadoreño.
El viceministro indicó que la ampliación de las áreas productivas responde a los resultados sólidos obtenidos en 2025 y que la meta para el ciclo actual es clara, pues busca sumar mayor producción.

“La apuesta es clara: más tierra cultivada, mayor producción y más oportunidades para nuestra gente del campo”, afirmó Domínguez en una publicación en la red social X, donde adelantó que en el corto plazo se prevé un avance mayor.
El anuncio de la ampliación de las manzanas cultivadas con tomate forma parte de la estrategia integral que el Gobierno impulsa en diferentes cultivos. El pasado 23 de enero, el Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería comunicó avances en la producción de frijol, informando que se han cosechado 12,500 manzanas durante el ciclo 2025-2026. La publicación en redes sociales de esta cartera de Estado señaló que el campo salvadoreño continúa fortaleciéndose con más producción y más agricultores apoyados, lo que contribuye a sembrar seguridad alimentaria para toda la población.
El Programa Aumento a la Producción contempla también la siembra de 10,000 manzanas de maíz con tecnología avanzada, con el objetivo de triplicar la productividad y reducir la dependencia de importaciones. Entre sus componentes centrales figuran la entrega de insumos ganaderos y la modernización del sector cafetalero, involucrando la protección de 20,000 manzanas de café y la siembra de 700 manzanas con variedades de alto rendimiento tipo Central Standard. Estas acciones están dirigidas a garantizar mejores rendimientos y hacer frente a los desafíos climáticos, diversificando la producción agrícola nacional.

En este contexto, el programa ha sumado aliados estratégicos de alcance internacional. La Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) y el Programa Mundial de Alimentos (WFP, por sus siglas en inglés) anunciaron recientemente su incorporación como socios de la iniciativa. La FAO reafirmó su apoyo al Gobierno salvadoreño para fortalecer capacidades locales y respaldar el aumento sostenible de la producción, con el objetivo de consolidar la seguridad alimentaria en el país. La colaboración se enmarca dentro del Programa Aumento a la Producción y aspira a promover prácticas agrícolas y ganaderas más sostenibles.
El viceministro de Agricultura subrayó en esa oportunidad la importancia de contar con el respaldo de la FAO y el WFP, dos organismos que, tras una reciente gira de campo por las principales zonas productoras, confirmaron su participación y expresaron satisfacción por el progreso alcanzado. “Este año duplicaremos los resultados obtenidos el año pasado. El Salvador produce cada vez más de su propia comida, fortaleciendo nuestra seguridad alimentaria y el desarrollo del sector agropecuario”, puntualizó el funcionario, quien valoró la rapidez con que se han alcanzado los objetivos en tan solo un año de implementación.
Las acciones desplegadas cuentan con la supervisión de entidades internacionales, lo que representa, según las autoridades locales, un cambio cualitativo en la manera en que El Salvador enfrenta los desafíos de la seguridad alimentaria y la producción sostenible. El modelo de trabajo conjunto entre el Gobierno, los productores nacionales y los organismos internacionales refuerza la meta de que el país logre autosuficiencia alimentaria y promueva el desarrollo rural en el mediano y largo plazo.

Con la ampliación de 80 manzanas dedicadas al cultivo de tomate, el Programa Aumento a la Producción consolida su papel como motor del desarrollo agrícola y como ejemplo de cooperación entre el Estado, los agricultores y la comunidad internacional.
corresponsal:Desde San Salvador, El Salvador
INTERNACIONAL
La caída del dictador y sus errores de cálculo: Tras hablar con Donald Trump, Nicolás Maduro estaba convencido que Estados Unidos no atacaría Venezuela

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