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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.
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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.»
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«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
Millions of ‘No Kings’ protesters rally nationwide
Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert joins Fox & Friends Weekend to discuss the nationwide ‘No Kings’ protests. He characterizes the anti-Trump demonstrations as ‘bad group therapy,’ driven by grievance culture and an unhealthy fixation on politics.
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Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, intended to hit President Donald Trump amid nationwide «No Kings» protests, but instead Republicans argued her comment admits the flimsy case being made.
«Donald Trump is not, never will be, and has never been a king. #NoKings,» Hirono’s Saturday morning X post read as left-wing protesters marched in various anti-Trump demonstrations.
The remarks landed with rare agreement from figures on the right, though.
«So you agree – you think your ‘no kings’ rallies are stupid…,» replied Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who once backed Trump’s 2024 Republican primary opposition from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
JANE FONDA WARNS AMERICA FACES ‘EXISTENTIAL’ CRISIS AS SHE URGES TURNOUT AT ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, was trolled on social media for a ‘no kings’ statement that was seized on by the right. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
«Roger that!» Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X.
Social media reacted in wild agreement even from the right, with some noting that the 2024 November election was a «no Kings» protest and some referencing Independence Day as America’s true «no Kings» protest.
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One post even noted the irony of «no kings» protests in London, where the United Kingdom actually has a king.
More than 3,200 events had been planned in all 50 states, after the two previous nationwide events attracted millions of participants.
Large rallies took place in New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington, but two-thirds of «no kings» events were happening outside major cities, a nearly 40% jump for smaller communities from the movement’s first mobilization last June, organizers said.
LEADER SCALISE: DEMOCRATS CHEER ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS, BUT LET SHUTDOWN DEVASTATE FAMILIES
Video and photos shared on social media showed protesters marching for «no kings,» while waving red flags associated with communist dictatorships.
«These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone and House Democrats get their marching orders,» National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella wrote in a statement Saturday.
«Voters will punish Democrats for gleefully standing shouder-to-shoulder with radicals who call for assassinations and violence.»
JOHN CUSACK TELLS TRUMP TO ‘GO TO HELL’ AT CHICAGO ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST
Trump has long rebuked the «no kings» protest mantra.
«I’m not a king — I work my a– off to make America great,» Trump said during last October’s congressional recess protests. «That’s the difference.»
Trump rebuked the protests as «small, crazy, and totally out of touch with real Americans.»
CHIP ROY SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY TAKING ITS ‘DYING BREATHS’
Hirono was not the only Democrat figure targeted for social media trolling Saturday. The RNC Research X account shared video of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., getting emotional during a «no kings» rally speech, rebuking America as no beacon of hope but «authoritarianism.»
‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS LARGELY COMPRISED OF PEOPLE FROM ONE DEMOGRAPHIC: EXPERTS
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., under fire for alleged immigration law violations got emotional in rebuking ‘authoritarianism’ in America, the country that granted her freedom and voted her into Congress. (Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)
Omar and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz have been under fire for allegations of fraud among the Somali community in their state, and Vice President JD Vance last week alleged to have evidence that Omar violated immigration law.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, replied to a Fox News investigation that revealed ‘No Kings’ protests were backed by network of 500 organizations, finding many tied to socialist and communist groups.
«Lefty billionaires & communists,» Cruz wrote. «There’s a shock….»
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The first «no kings» event, on Trump’s birthday, June 14, last year, drew an estimated 4 million to 6 million people across roughly 2,100 sites nationwide. The second mobilization in October involved an estimated 7 million participants in more than 2,700 cities, according to a crowdsourcing analysis published by prominent data journalist G. Elliott Morris.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
politics, midterm elections, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Las brutales condiciones de trabajo forzado de los norcoreanos enviados a Rusia: “Trabajamos como animales”
Jornadas de hasta 17 horas bajo la nieve rusa, sin guantes ni equipo de protección, en obras de construcción cercadas donde los pasaportes son confiscados al llegar y de las que prácticamente no hay salida. Esa es la realidad que describe un nuevo informe sobre los trabajadores norcoreanos enviados a Rusia bajo el programa estatal de exportación de mano de obra de Pyongyang, según reveló Fox News, que tuvo acceso al documento.
El informe, elaborado por la organización internacional de derechos humanos Global Rights Compliance, recopila 21 testimonios directos de trabajadores en tres ciudades rusas que no se conocían entre sí. En todos los casos, los investigadores identificaron los 11 indicadores de trabajo forzado establecidos por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo, entre ellos servidumbre por deudas, restricción de movimiento, retención de salarios, horas extraordinarias excesivas, violencia física, vigilancia permanente y condiciones de vida degradantes.
Un ex empleado identificado solo como “RT” para proteger su identidad describió a Fox News su experiencia con crudeza: llegó convencido de que podría ahorrar suficiente dinero para darle una vida mejor a su familia. Al llegar, comprendió que el dinero nunca sería suyo.
El mecanismo es sistemático. Según Yeji Kim, asesora de Global Rights Compliance para Corea del Norte, cada trabajador desplegado en el exterior debe abonar mensualmente una suma obligatoria al Estado norcoreano denominada gukga gyehoekbun.
Un trabajador típico percibe unos 800 dólares al mes por hasta 420 horas de trabajo, pero entre 600 y 850 dólares son deducidos de inmediato para cubrir esa cuota estatal, más gastos de viaje y alojamiento colectivo. Lo que queda ronda los 10 dólares. Si el trabajador no llega a cubrir la cuota, la diferencia se acumula como deuda para el mes siguiente, pudiendo arrastrarse durante un año entero.
“Debes pagar pase lo que pase”, relató RT a Fox News. “No hay negociación. Viniste a ganar y te vas con nada. Y si fallas demasiadas veces, te mandan a casa. Pero volver a casa no significa alivio: significa listas negras, interrogatorios y, a veces, que tu familia pague las consecuencias.”
Según el informe, los pasaportes son confiscados el día de la llegada por funcionarios de seguridad norcoreanos y no se devuelven. Las salidas del recinto laboral son escasas —pocas veces al año— y siempre en grupo, con recuento de cabezas y hora fija de regreso. En varios testimonios se documentaron episodios de violencia física; en uno de ellos, un trabajador fue golpeado con tanta brutalidad que no pudo trabajar durante dos semanas. La vigilancia es constante y se utilizan castigos colectivos para obligar a los propios trabajadores a controlarse mutuamente.
Las condiciones de vida descritas son igualmente severas: contenedores superpoblados con cucarachas y chinches, acceso a duchas apenas una o dos veces al año y, en algunos casos, un único día libre anual. “Llevamos una vida peor que el ganado”, declaró uno de los trabajadores a los investigadores.
El programa no es marginal para la economía norcoreana. Según estimaciones del Panel de Expertos de la ONU citadas en el informe, genera aproximadamente 500 millones de dólares anuales, una fuente de ingresos crítica para un régimen sometido al régimen de sanciones más exhaustivo de la historia de Naciones Unidas. Ese dinero, según los investigadores, financia a la élite política, sostiene redes de lealtades internas y contribuye al desarrollo militar, incluido el programa nuclear.
Se estima que unos 100.000 trabajadores norcoreanos han sido enviados al exterior bajo este programa. El informe señala que las empresas rusas los emplean ocultando deliberadamente su identidad, de modo que los propios trabajadores desconocen para quién trabajan.
Las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU exigen la repatriación de los trabajadores norcoreanos, por lo que su presencia continuada en Rusia constituye una potencial violación de las sanciones internacionales.
El programa de trabajo forzado se enmarca en una alianza cada vez más estrecha entre Pyongyang y Moscú. Kim Jong-un reafirmó la semana pasada el apoyo “inquebrantable” de Corea del Norte a Rusia en la guerra en Ucrania, que transita su quinto año. En junio de 2024, ambos líderes firmaron un acuerdo militar que compromete a los dos Estados a prestarse asistencia “sin demora” en caso de ataque. Servicios de inteligencia surcoreanos y occidentales estiman que Pyongyang ha enviado miles de soldados a la región rusa de Kursk, además de proyectiles de artillería, misiles y sistemas de cohetes de largo alcance, a cambio de suministros de alimentos y tecnología armamentística.
RT, que logró escapar del sistema, dijo sentir la obligación de hablar. “Somos personas igual que ustedes, pero trabajamos como animales”, declaró. “Ahora mismo, hoy, hay hombres en obras de construcción en Rusia trabajando 16 horas al día, durmiendo en contenedores, sin ganar nada, sin poder llamar a casa y sin manera de irse. Sus nombres no figuran en ningún informe. Nadie sabe que están ahí. Pero están.”
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Iran responds to reports US weighing ground operations: ‘We will never accept humiliation’
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Iran is responding boldly Sunday to reports the U.S. might be prepping ground forces for the next stage of its designs to root out its nuclear weapons aspirations and chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
«As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,» Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said Sunday.
Iranian forces «are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,» he added.
«Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.»
TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
A recent Washington Post report said the U.S. is considering a ground operation in Iran. (Vanderwolf Images via Getty)
The speaker’s statements came after a report from The Washington Post claiming the Trump administration and War Department are preparing alternatives for Trump to deploy ground forces, perhaps to secure remnants of the targeted Iranian nuclear program or root out further Iranian aggression to free up oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz choke point.
The Post reported Saturday, citing anonymous sources, that the Pentagon is preparing options for potential U.S. ground operations in Iran that could last weeks if Trump approves an escalation. The plans reportedly envision limited raids by Special Operations and conventional forces rather than a full-scale invasion, with possible targets including Kharg Island and coastal weapons sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
«It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander in chief maximum optionality,» White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post in a statement, echoing remarks made during a press briefing this week. «It does not mean the president has made a decision.»
Fox News reached out to the Pentagon for comment Sunday morning.
Reuters separately reported that the administration has considered sending thousands of additional troops to the region and that Trump has weighed the use of ground forces to seize Kharg Island. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States is not currently postured for ground operations, which would give Trump «maximum» flexibility, but said objectives can be achieved without them.
RETIRED GENERAL CALLS FOR US GROUND OPERATION TO SEIZE IRANIAN ISLAND, CUT OFF REGIME’S ‘ECONOMIC LIFELINE’
The prospect of U.S. troops entering Iran remains politically divisive and militarily hazardous, with analysts warning that even a limited seizure of territory could expose American forces to sustained counterattacks and complicate efforts to end the war quickly.
Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East, with the first of two contingents arriving on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the U.S. military has said.
LEAVITT SAYS GROUND TROOPS IN IRAN NOT CURRENTLY BEING CONSIDERED, DOESN’T RULE IT OUT
The United States said last week it had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, with a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restrict Iran’s nuclear program, but Tehran has rejected the list and put forward proposals of its own.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, there is also concern about shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthis entered the fray.
US TROOPS BRACE FOR ‘HIT-AND-RUN’ GUERILLA ATTACKS AS 82ND AIRBORNE DEPLOYS TO IRAN, MILITARY ANALYST WARNS
Trump has threatened to hit Iranian power stations and other energy infrastructure if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, though he has extended a deadline by 10 days.
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Iranian threats against ships have kept most oil tankers from attempting the waterway. Iran has agreed to let an additional 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels pass through the strait, with two ships permitted to transit daily.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
war with iran, pentagon, donald trump, iran
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