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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.
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
EN VIVO: Trump dijo que no ordenó enviar tropas a Irán y que le pidió a Netanyahu que no ataque plantas de gas del régimen persa
Durante la recepción a la primera ministra japonesa, Sanae Takaichi, destacó el respaldo nipón en la crisis, subrayando que recibió garantías de apoyo del gobierno de Tokio, “a diferencia de los aliados en la OTAN”
En noche del miércoles, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, advirtió que ordenará “volar por los aires” la totalidad del yacimiento de gas South Pars si Irán lanza nuevos ataques contra instalaciones de gas natural licuado en Qatar, en medio de la escalada del conflicto en Medio Oriente. El mandatario afirmó que Washington “no sabía nada” del ataque israelí contra ese campo gasífero compartido entre Irán y Qatar, y aseguró que Doha tampoco tenía conocimiento previo. Además, sostuvo además que “Israel no realizará más ataques” en la zona, salvo que Irán “decida atacar a un país inocente, en este caso, Qatar”.
El miércoles, Israel atacó el yacimiento de South Pars, en una de las mayores escaladas del conflicto reciente, pocas horas después de operaciones que incluyeron la muerte del ministro de Inteligencia iraní y bombardeos intensos en Beirut. La ofensiva elevó la tensión regional y amplió el alcance de los enfrentamientos.
El régimen de Irán condenó el ataque y su presidente, Masoud Pezeshkian, advirtió sobre “consecuencias incontrolables” que “podrían afectar al mundo entero”. Luego, Teherán lanzó ataques contra instalaciones energéticas en países vecinos del Golfo, entre ellas la planta de gas natural licuado Ras Laffan en Qatar y complejos en Emiratos Árabes Unidos, donde las operaciones en Habshan y el yacimiento Bab quedaron suspendidas tras interceptaciones.
La escalada impactó en los mercados energéticos: el precio internacional del petróleo superó los 110 dólares por barril en las primeras horas del jueves. El Brent, referencia global, avanzaba 5,02% y alcanzaba los 112,77 dólares por barril en el comercio asiático. En tanto, el West Texas Intermediate (WTI), referencia en Estados Unidos, subía 2,67 % y se ubicaba en 98,89 dólares por barril.
A continuación, la cobertura minuto a minuto:
Un nutrido grupo de hijos y familiares de altos funcionarios del régimen iraní han asumido roles docentes en algunas de las más prestigiosas universidades de Estados Unidos, mientras aumenta la presión de organizaciones opositoras para que se revise su permanencia y se investigue su estatus migratorio, en medio de tensiones diplomáticas y cuestionamientos sobre los valores que estos académicos transmiten en el ámbito universitario.
La guerra con Irán sacude los mercados globales: el petróleo sube, las bolsas caen y el oro se desploma
Los ataques iraníes contra refinerías en Arabia Saudita, Kuwait y Qatar dispararon los precios del crudo más de un 60% desde el inicio de la guerra. La Fed mantuvo tasas y los mercados ya apuestan a que no habrá recortes en 2026
Los mercados financieros mundiales operaraban bajo presión este jueves, con el petróleo en alza, las bolsas en rojo y el oro en caída libre, mientras la guerra entre Estados Unidos, Israel e Irán entra en su tercera semana sin señales de distensión y con nuevos ataques contra infraestructuras energéticas del Golfo Pérsico.
Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel atacaron buques lanzamisiles de la Armada iraní en el Mar Caspio
El operativo aéreo, en el que intervinieron varias agencias de inteligencia, fue dirigido contra instalaciones navales estratégicas, afectando la logística y el despliegue militar del régimen de Teherán en la región
Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel atacaron por primera vez buques lanzamisiles de la Armada iraní en el Mar Caspio durante la noche del miércoles, como parte de la Operación “Rugido del León”. La ofensiva fue dirigida por la Fuerza Aérea israelí en coordinación con la Inteligencia Naval y la Inteligencia Militar, y tuvo como objetivo principal varias infraestructuras navales clave de Irán.
Trump dijo que no ordenó enviar tropas a Irán y que le pidió a Netanyahu que no ataque plantas de gas del régimen persa
Durante la recepción a la primera ministra japonesa, Sanae Takaichi, destacó el respaldo nipón en la crisis, subrayando que recibió garantías de apoyo del gobierno de Tokio, “a diferencia de los aliados en la OTAN”
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El presidente de Estados Unidos Donald Trump aseguró el jueves que no enviará tropas terrestres a Irán, como parte de la operación desplegada conjuntamente con Israel contra el régimen persa. “Si lo estuviera haciendo, ciertamente no se los diría. Pero no estoy enviando tropas”, afirmó el mandatario.
Irán atacó una refinería de petróleo de Haifa
Durante el último ataque con misiles iraníes contra Israel, se produjo un impacto en las refinerías de petróleo de Haifa.
Los servicios de rescate informaron que no se han registrado heridos.
Qatar dijo que el ataque al centro de distribución de gas es una prueba clara de que Irán no solo tiene como objetivo los intereses estadounidenses
El primer ministro de Qatar afirmó el jueves que el ataque iraní contra la mayor planta de gas del mundo, ubicada en Qatar, constituye una “prueba irrefutable” contra las afirmaciones de Teherán de haber atacado únicamente intereses estadounidenses en el Golfo.
“Existen persistentes afirmaciones iraníes de que estos ataques van dirigidos contra intereses estadounidenses… y esta afirmación es rechazada y no puede aceptarse”, declaró el jeque Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“La prueba irrefutable de ello es el ataque perpetrado ayer contra una planta de gas natural en el Estado de Qatar”, añadió.
La inteligencia de Israel cree que el nuevo líder supremo de Irán no controla al régimen: “Una entidad vacía”
Mojtaba Khamenei no ha hecho ninguna aparición pública desde que asumió el cargo tras la muerte de su padre. Analistas israelíes describen un liderazgo “roto y confundido” en medio de la escalada bélica
El nuevo líder supremo de Irán, Mojtaba Khamenei, no ejerce control efectivo sobre el régimen y es considerado una figura sin poder real, según fuentes de seguridad nacional israelíes citadas este miércoles por Fox News Digital.
Yacimientos en riesgo: cuáles son las refinerías clave que Irán amenaza con destruir en Medio Oriente
La escalada de ataques y represalias modifica el mapa de la infraestructura vital para la exportación de crudo y gas, generando incertidumbre en los mercados internacionales y comprometiendo la estabilidad de las cadenas industriales globales
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Los principales complejos energéticos del Golfo Pérsico continúan este jueves en estado de alerta tras una escalada que amplió el foco del conflicto hacia infraestructura industrial crítica. El ataque contra el campo de gas South Pars derivó en una represalia de Irán contra las refinerías de sus vecinos en el Golfo Pérsico que amenaza con convertirse en un cataclismo económico mundial.
Irak condena los ataques contra instalaciones energéticas en Oriente Medio
La OMC prevé una fuerte desaceleración del comercio mundial en medio de la guerra en Oriente Medio
La guerra en Oriente Medio podría afectar gravemente al comercio mundial, que ya se encuentra ralentizado, advirtió la OMC el jueves, señalando que el crecimiento del volumen del comercio de mercancías podría ser tan bajo como el 1,4 % este año, en comparación con el 4,6 % previsto para 2025.
«El aumento sostenido de los precios de la energía podría incrementar los riesgos para el comercio mundial, con posibles repercusiones en la seguridad alimentaria y presiones de costos para consumidores y empresas», advirtió la directora general de la Organización Mundial del Comercio, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, en un comunicado.
Business,Asia / Pacific,Corporate Events
INTERNACIONAL
Inside Joe Kent’s abrupt fall as GOP backlash grows over antisemitism accusations, FBI probe
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Joe Kent rose on the right as a combat veteran turned political insurgent — a former Green Beret and CIA officer who channeled his battlefield experience into a critique of America’s «endless wars» and the D.C. establishment that sustained them.
A vocal ally of President Donald Trump and a participant in post-2020 election challenges, Kent became a prominent voice in the populist wing of the GOP.
Now, his recent resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center — and his accusation that the war in Iran was driven by «pressure from Israel» — has triggered a swift GOP backlash, leaving Kent isolated from parts of the political movement that once embraced him.
TRUMP RESURFACES OLD TWEET FROM INTEL OFFICIAL WHO RESIGNED
Kent’s Tuesday resignation letter laid out a direct challenge to the Trump administration’s justification for the Iran War, stating that «Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation» and arguing that the conflict was driven by «pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.»
He also alleged that a «misinformation campaign» by Israeli officials and U.S. media had pushed the United States toward war, claims that quickly drew condemnation from lawmakers in both parties.
After Kent’s abrupt resignation, it came to light that he had been under investigation by the FBI for weeks for allegedly leaking classified information.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was unaware of the probe, a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Thursday.
Administration officials also told Fox News Kent had been cut out of planning meetings for the current Iran mission, known as Operation Epic Fury, as well as the president’s daily briefings.
Kent’s resignation, now shadowed by a reported FBI investigation into alleged leaks, has thrust a once-rising figure in Trump’s orbit into the center of a growing clash over the administration’s Iran strategy, how intelligence is used in decisions on military action, and internal tensions within the national security team.
Joe Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is sworn in to the House Homeland Security Committee hearing titled «Worldwide Threats to the Homeland,» Dec. 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
A combat veteran turned political figure
Kent’s rise in conservative circles was shaped as much by his military career as by personal loss.
A 20-year Army Special Forces veteran and former CIA paramilitary officer, he served in multiple combat deployments before entering public life.
His profile grew significantly after the 2019 death of his first wife, Navy Senior Chief Shannon, who was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria.
Kent frequently has cited her death as a turning point for him, fueling his criticism of what he describes as failed U.S. foreign policy and «endless wars» in the Middle East.
He later entered politics, running for Congress in 2022 and 2024 in Washington state as a Republican aligned with President Donald Trump’s «America First» movement.
Kent secured Trump’s endorsement during his campaigns and became a prominent voice in the populist wing of the party, combining a hardline stance on national security with opposition to prolonged military interventions.
Kent was killed in an ISIS bombing in Syria in 2019. (US Navy )
Signs of tension inside the intelligence community
Kent’s recent departure has raised questions about internal dynamics within the Trump administration’s national security team, particularly as differences emerge over Iran strategy and the intelligence used to justify it.
While Gabbard has long aligned herself with a more restrained approach to foreign policy, the White House has taken a more aggressive posture toward Iran, raising the possibility of a widening divide over both strategy and the intelligence used to justify it.
Gabbard has responded cautiously in the days since Kent’s resignation, avoiding a direct defense of his claims while emphasizing the role of the president in making final decisions.
In a statement on Iran threats following Kent’s departure, Gabbard did not mention him by name, instead stressing that intelligence agencies provide assessments but that «the president is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.»
Pressed by senators in a worldwide threat hearing Wednesday over whether she agreed with the White House that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S. prior to strikes that began Feb. 28, she repeatedly declined to say so, arguing it was up to the president to make such a determination.
During a parallel hearing in the House Thursday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., read portions of Kent’s resignation letter — including his claim that Israeli officials and U.S. media had pushed the United States toward war — and asked whether Gabbard agreed with the statement.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth greets one of Joe Kent’s sons. The former National Counterterrorism Director is a father of two and a Gold Star spouse. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery)
«He said a lot of things in that letter,» Gabbard responded, adding that the president «makes his own decisions based on the information that’s available to him.»
When asked whether Kent’s comments concerned her, Gabbard replied simply: «Yes.»
TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN
Kent’s remarks also have drawn sharp criticism from senior Republicans.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell described the language in Kent’s resignation letter as «virulent anti-Semitism,» calling it «baseless and incendiary conspiracies» and saying such views have «no place» in government.
In early March, Gabbard’s chief of staff, Matt Baker, left his role, though a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Baker’s departure was a long-planned return to the private sector.
Gabbard also has recently brought on Dan Caldwell, an outspoken advocate of a more restrained foreign policy. Caldwell previously was the subject of a Pentagon leak probe during his time working with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, though the results of that probe have not been publicized and Caldwell insists they are unsubstantiated.
A source familiar with that move said Caldwell will be doing administration work rather than shaping policy.
Gabbard’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.
Non-interventionist Republicans praised Kent after his departure.
«Another insider sees what we see: no imminent threat, just lobby pressure. This is why we need to defund and debate,» said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
«Joe Kent is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO. God bless him and protect him! He just exposed that the war with Iran is AMERICA LAST and we voted against it,» said former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
A shift in his views on Iran
Kent’s past comments on Iran reflect a more nuanced position than his resignation might suggest.
During his congressional campaigns, he consistently portrayed Iran as a real and ongoing threat and warned against allowing it to expand its influence across the region.
At times, Kent’s rhetoric went further, reflecting a willingness to use direct force against Iran when he viewed it as necessary.
In a 2020 social media post following the U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force responsible for operations outside Iran. Kent urged the administration to «wipe Iran’s ballistic capability out,» while still calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from the region.
The comments highlighted a tension that has defined his foreign policy views —support for aggressive, targeted action against adversaries alongside a deep opposition to prolonged military entanglements.
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By 2024, Kent had coalesced around a doctrine of what he described as «peace through strength,» praising Trump-era policies that combined sanctions, targeted strikes and diplomacy while avoiding large-scale military commitments.
In a Newsweek op-ed that year, he argued that sending U.S. troops to confront Iran or its proxies would be «a huge mistake,» advocating instead for withdrawing forces from vulnerable positions while continuing to strike adversaries from a distance.
His resignation marks a sharper break: not just opposing escalation, but rejecting the premise that Iran posed an imminent threat at all.
Kent could not be reached for comment.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI for comment on its ongoing investigation.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has called the claims in Kent’s resignation letter «false» and «laughable.»
«There are many false claims in this letter, but let me address one specifically: that ‘Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.’ This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over,» she wrote on X.
«The absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable.»
war with iran,tulsi gabbard,counter terrorism,homeland security
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