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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.
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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
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Qué es la “ficción reparadora”, el género literario que no sólo muestra el dolor sino que intenta sanarlo
En los últimos años empezó a circular, en el ámbito literario y crítico, una expresión que despierta curiosidad: “ficción reparadora”. No designa un género ni una moda pasajera, sino una manera de entender para qué sirve contar historias. La idea es sencilla y, al mismo tiempo, potente: hay relatos que no solo representan el dolor o el conflicto, sino que trabajan sobre ellos, los transforman simbólicamente y ofrecen una experiencia de elaboración. En lugar de limitarse a mostrar la herida, intentan intervenirla desde la imaginación.
No se trata de un género con reglas fijas ni de una fórmula de autoayuda encubierta, sino de una sensibilidad narrativa: historias que parten de una pérdida, una decepción o una crisis vital y acompañan a sus personajes en un proceso de recomposición. En un presente saturado de distopías y relatos de colapso, estas ficciones eligen otro foco: no negar la oscuridad, pero sí explorar cómo se reconstruye una vida después del quiebre.
Un ejemplo es La tienda de los deseos, de Hiyoko Kurisu, donde una tienda aparentemente común en un barrio japonés ofrece algo más que objetos: cada artículo, mínimo y cotidiano, habilita a sus clientes a revisar heridas íntimas y ensayar cambios posibles. En la misma línea, Mis días en la librería Morisaki, de Satoshi Yagisawa, sitúa la reparación en el corazón de una librería de Tokio: entre estanterías y cafés, los vínculos inesperados y la hospitalidad del mundo del libro se convierten en una forma de recomenzar. En ambos casos, la ficción no promete milagros; propone algo más verosímil y acaso más poderoso: la posibilidad de volver a armarse, página a página.
La “ficción reparadora”, originaria de Japón y Corea, ha captado el interés de importantes casas editoras en Estados Unidos y Reino Unido, que han acelerado la adquisición de derechos y la publicación de títulos similares tras el crecimiento exponencial de lectores en los últimos años.
Este tipo de ficción ocupa un lugar destacado en las listas de best sellers, con ventas superiores a 3 millones de ejemplares solo en mercados angloparlantes para series como Antes de que se enfríe el café de Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
El organismo público coreano Literature Translation Institute informó que 150 obras coreanas se publicaron en español entre 2001 y 2024, la mayoría en el último lustro. Destacadas editoras, como Shannon DeVito de Barnes & Noble y Sara Nelson de Harper, consideran que este fenómeno representa el mayor boom de narrativa traducida desde el auge del noir escandinavo, apoyado por la acción concertada de libreros, agentes de derechos y plataformas digitales.
El modelo editorial se orienta a capitalizar la demanda de libros que funcionen como refugio emocional, impulsando la publicación masiva de títulos inéditos en español e inglés, así como lanzamientos y reediciones notables como La asombrosa tienda de la señora Yeom de Kim Ho-Yeon, que acumula más de 1 millón de copias vendidas y ha sido traducida a 23 idiomas, y El misterio de la lavandería de Yeonnam-dong de Kim Jiyun, que alcanzó 18 reediciones antes de su adaptación musical.
En la Argentina, ya se está escribiendo el género. Por ejemplo, la periodista y escritora Silvia Cordano -que es coautora de Nuestras Mujeres de Malvinas- por estos días está presentando los relatos de Las acuarelas prodigiosas.
Las novelas que se agrupan bajo la etiqueta de ficción reparadora se distinguen por tramas centradas en escenarios cotidianos —cafeterías, librerías, lavanderías o tiendas de barrio— y abordan conflictos emocionales, como la soledad, el duelo o la culpa, desde la contención y la empatía más que desde la intensidad dramática. El componente mágico realista aparece de forma recurrente: cafeterías donde se puede viajar en el tiempo, gatos sanadores, tiendas que venden sueños y librerías cuyas recomendaciones pretenden transformar vidas.
Editoras como Elena Ramírez de Planeta y Anik Lapointe de Salamandra describen este tipo de literatura como una narrativa de detalles sin sobresaltos, centrada en el bienestar y el valor de la comunidad frente a la incertidumbre global.
Estos títulos suelen tener estructura episodica y breve, favoreciendo la lectura en dispositivos móviles, y se destinan a un público joven-adulto, especialmente mujeres de 18 a 35 años, aunque el alcance se expande a adolescentes gracias a la penetración de la cultura coreana y japonesa en el entretenimiento masivo.
El protagonismo de los libros, la comida y los gatos —elemento visual utilizado por editoriales en portadas, aunque no siempre central— refuerza la construcción de marca y contribuye a la viralización de estas obras en redes sociales y espacios destacados de librerías.
La difusión masiva de la ficción reparadora tiene su raíz en la viralización en TikTok e Instagram, como demuestran los vídeos vinculados a la saga de Kawaguchi, que superan los 28 millones de visualizaciones y han llevado a sellos como Hanover Square Press, Sunmark, Planeta, Plaza & Janés y Duomo a redoblar la apuesta por el género. Los eventos de firmas en ciudades como Nueva York, Toronto, Los ángeles o Dubái reflejan la dimensión internacional y la capacidad de estas historias para movilizar lectores y ventas en mercados muy distintos.
Un factor central en la expansión ha sido el papel de la traducción y la intermediación editorial. Según fuentes periodísticas, la preferencia por títulos japoneses en Reino Unido es tal que el 43 % de los libros traducidos más vendidos provinieron de Japón. El español ya es el sexto idioma con mayor recepción de obras coreanas, superando los 150 títulos en 25 años, con crecimiento acelerado desde la pandemia.
La respuesta de editoriales como Berkley (Penguin Random House) y HarperOne (HarperCollins) ha impulsado la publicación de secuelas y spin-offs ligados a best sellers recientes, incluyendo adaptaciones rápidas de fenómenos como Te receto un gato de Syou Ishida y Mis días en la librería Morisaki de Satoshi Yagisawa.
El auge de la ficción reparadora es reflejo del renovado interés global por la cultura japonesa y coreana, alimentado por el éxito transversal del K-pop, los K-dramas, el manga y el anime, así como el reconocimiento de la creatividad empática presente en estas narrativas.
Directivos como Jaekwang Shin del Centro Cultural Coreano en España han trazado paralelismos históricos y sociales entre estas culturas y sus mercados editoriales de referencia, mientras responsables de librerías independientes, como Andrea Stefanoni en Madrid y Jessica Callahan en Estados Unidos, han comprobado el aumento del interés y la capacidad de estas historias para atraer nuevos lectores.
librería,Japón,Corea,magia,fantasía,juventud,comunidad,gatos,lectura,consuelo
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President Donald Trump warned that Iran is working to build missiles that could «soon reach the United States of America,» elevating concerns about a weapons program that already places U.S. forces across the Middle East within range.
Iran does not currently possess a missile capable of striking the U.S. homeland, officials say. But its existing ballistic missile arsenal can target major American military installations in the Gulf, and U.S. officials say the issue has emerged as a key sticking point in ongoing nuclear negotiations.
Here’s what Iran can hit now — and how close it is to reaching the U.S.
What Iran can hit right now
A map shows what is within range of ballistic missiles fired from Iran. (Fox News)
Iran is widely assessed by Western defense analysts to operate the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. Its arsenal consists primarily of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles with ranges of up to roughly 2,000 kilometers — about 1,200 miles.
That range places a broad network of U.S. military infrastructure across the Gulf within reach.
Among the installations inside that envelope:
IRAN SIGNALS NUCLEAR PROGRESS IN GENEVA AS TRUMP CALLS FOR FULL DISMANTLEMENT
- Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command.
- Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the U.S. 5th Fleet.
- Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, a major Army logistics and command hub.
- Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, used by U.S. Air Force units.
- Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
- Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
- Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which hosts U.S. aircraft.
U.S. forces have drawn down from some regional positions in recent months, including the transfer of Al Asad Air Base in Iraq back to Iraqi control earlier in 2026. But major Gulf installations remain within the range envelope of Iran’s current missile inventory.
Israel’s air defense targets Iranian missiles in the sky of Tel Aviv in Israel, June 16, 2025. (MATAN GOLAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Multiple U.S. officials told Fox News that staffing at the Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain has been reduced to «mission critical» levels amid heightened tensions. A separate U.S. official disputed that characterization, saying no ordered departure of personnel or dependents has been issued.
At the same time, the U.S. has surged significant naval and air assets into and around the region in recent days.
The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Arabian Sea alongside multiple destroyers, while additional destroyers are positioned in the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is also headed toward the region. U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft — including F-15s, F-16s, F-35s and A-10s — are based across Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, supported by aerial refueling tankers, early warning aircraft and surveillance platforms, according to a recent Fox News military briefing.
Iran has demonstrated its willingness to use ballistic missiles against U.S. targets before.
In January 2020, following the U.S. strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. positions in Iraq. Dozens of American service members were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.
That episode underscored the vulnerability of forward-deployed forces within reach of Iran’s missile arsenal.
Can Iran reach Europe?
Most publicly known Iranian missile systems are assessed to have maximum ranges of around 2,000 kilometers.
Depending on launch location, that could place parts of southeastern Europe — including Greece, Bulgaria and Romania — within potential reach. The U.S. has some 80,000 troops stationed across Europe, including in all three of these countries.
Iran is widely assessed by Western defense analysts to operate the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Reaching deeper into Europe would require longer-range systems than Iran has publicly demonstrated as operational.
Can Iran hit the US?
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Iran does not currently field an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the U.S. homeland.
To reach the U.S. East Coast, a missile would need a range of roughly 10,000 kilometers — far beyond Iran’s known operational capability.
However, U.S. intelligence agencies have warned that Iran’s space launch vehicle program could provide the technological foundation for a future long-range missile.
In a recent threat overview, the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that Iran «has space launch vehicles it could use to develop a militarily-viable ICBM by 2035 should Tehran decide to pursue the capability.»
That assessment places any potential Iranian intercontinental missile capability roughly a decade away — and contingent on a political decision by Tehran.
U.S. officials and defense analysts have pointed in particular to Iran’s recent space launches, including rockets such as the Zuljanah, which use solid-fuel propulsion. Solid-fuel motors can be stored and launched more quickly than liquid-fueled rockets — a feature that is also important for military ballistic missiles.
Space launch vehicles and long-range ballistic missiles rely on similar multi-stage rocket technology. Analysts say advances in Iran’s space program could shorten the pathway to an intercontinental-range missile if Tehran chose to adapt that technology for military use.
For now, however, Iran has not deployed an operational ICBM, and the U.S. homeland remains outside the reach of its current ballistic missile arsenal.
US missile defenses — capable but finite
The U.S. relies on layered missile defense systems — including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Patriot and ship-based interceptors — to protect forces and allies from ballistic missile threats across the Middle East.
These systems are technically capable, but interceptor inventories are finite.
During the June 2025 Iran-Israel missile exchange, U.S. forces reportedly fired more than 150 THAAD interceptors — roughly a quarter of the total the Pentagon had funded to date, according to defense analysts.
The economics also highlight the imbalance: open-source estimates suggest Iranian short-range ballistic missiles can cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, while advanced U.S. interceptors such as THAAD run roughly $12 million or more per missile.
Precise inventory levels are classified. But experts who track Pentagon procurement data warn that replenishing advanced interceptors can take years, meaning a prolonged, high-intensity missile exchange could strain stockpiles even if U.S. defenses remain effective.
Missile program complicates negotiations
The ballistic missile issue has also emerged as a key fault line in ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iran’s refusal to negotiate limits on its ballistic missile program is «a big problem,» signaling that the administration views the arsenal as central to long-term regional security.
While current negotiations are focused primarily on Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment activities, U.S. officials have argued that delivery systems — including ballistic missiles — cannot be separated from concerns about a potential nuclear weapon.
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Iranian officials, however, have insisted their missile program is defensive in nature and not subject to negotiation as part of nuclear-focused talks.
As diplomacy continues, the strategic reality remains clear: Iran cannot currently strike the U.S. homeland with a ballistic missile. But U.S. forces across the Middle East remain within range of Tehran’s existing arsenal — and future capabilities remain a subject of intelligence concern.
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iran,conflicts defense,middle east,pentagon
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