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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
INTERNACIONAL
Trump administration accused of violating court order by sharing Medicaid data with ICE
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More than a dozen Democratic-led states are accusing the Trump administration of violating a federal court order by sharing Medicaid data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, asking a judge to enforce the ruling.
The states’ complaint asks the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to enforce its existing injunction blocking HHS from sharing Medicaid data with ICE.
«The Trump Administration appears to be defying a direct court order blocking it from sharing the personal, sensitive data of individuals including U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. It’s invasive — and deeply troubling,» said California Attorney General Bonta, who led the coalition of 22 states. «When Californians signed up for Medi-Cal, they did so with the understanding that their data would not be used for purposes unrelated to administering this program. I urge the court to enforce its earlier order and make clear that these guardrails exist for anyone who is lawfully residing in the United States.»
The complaint stems from a lawsuit spearheaded by California in July 2025 against the Trump administration. The lawsuit accused Health and Human Services of violating federal law through its «mass transfer of sensitive Medicaid data» of both lawful permanent and temporary residents. The lawsuit also argued that the sharing of the personal information will likely create a «chilling effect on individuals’ willingness to enroll in Medicaid programs» for which they are legally eligible.
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A split image shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents patrolling Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport on March 24, 2026, in New York City (L), and U.S. President Donald Trump arriving at Miami International Airport on March 27, 2026, in Miami, Florida (R). President Trump deployed ICE agents to airports amid TSA staffing shortages, with border czar Tom Homan overseeing the effort. (Michael M. Santiago and Nathan Howard / Getty Images)
A federal judge ruled last December that the Trump administration is not allowed to collect the personal information of lawful permanent residents or citizens, but that it can continue to collect basic information from individuals such as addresses, birthdates and immigration status for residents with temporary status. However, the scope of data that can be collected is limited and cannot include sensitive health information.
The attorneys general accuse Health and Human Services of sharing «a large and complex» set of data on Medicaid recipients with ICE, which is in violation of a federal court ruling allowing the exchange of limited personal information but excluding the information of legal permanent residents. The complaint also accuses the Trump administration of failing to share its criteria for determining if a resident is being «lawfully present.»
CATO Institute Senior Legal Fellow Dan Greenberg told Fox News Digital there is «a strong possibility» that HHS and ICE violated the district court’s order.
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ICE agents stand at the scene where a woman was shot and killed earlier in the day during an enforcement operation on Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«The reason this is a strong possibility is that DHHS communications apparently indicate that it shared a ‘large and complex’ dataset of Medicaid recipients with ICE,» Greenberg said. «That phrase suggests that the dataset that was shared with ICE may have included information that is outside the scope of the court order. That is a question of fact: that is why the states are now asking the court to compel the federal government to explain just what was shared and how it is now being used.»
Greenberg also pointed out that the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System database does not «appear to have any simple or direct way to identify/single out immigrants who are undocumented,» making «information-sharing that complies with that court order difficult or impossible.»
«The TMSIS identifies people who are only eligible for emergency Medicaid services, but the problem is that this class of people includes both undocumented and lawfully present immigrants,» Greenberg said. «In short, it is as if the court order said that only some of the information in one particular file should be disclosed, but there is reason to believe that DHHS decided that — because they can’t figure out how to separate out this particular type of information – they may have handed over the whole filing cabinet.»
The US Department of Health and Human Services building is shown in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/AFP)
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In addition to California, attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the governor of Kentucky signed on to the complaint.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Health and Human Services for comment.
politics, california, health, immigration, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
El presidente de Irán sugiere la posibilidad de un acercamiento diplomático en una carta dirigida al público estadounidense
Las empresas navieras de Grecia, los Emiratos Árabes Unidos y China son las más afectadas por el cierre del estrecho de Ormuz, según datos de Bloomberg y de organizaciones de tráfico marítimo.
Alrededor de 670 buques de carga enviaron señales desde el oeste del estrecho de Ormuz durante el último día, de los cuales 120 pertenecían a empresas de los cercanos Emiratos Árabes Unidos, lo que representa alrededor del 18 % del total.
La guerra estalló el 28 de febrero cuando Estados Unidos e Israel lanzaron ataques contra Irán, lo que desencadenó ataques de represalia en toda la región, con las fuerzas de Teherán apuntando a esta crucial vía marítima.
Las cifras podrían subestimar los totales reales, ya que es posible que algunos buques hayan apagado sus transpondedores.
Grecia
Después de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, el siguiente en la lista es Grecia: sus empresas cuentan con al menos 75 buques de carga que se encuentran en el estrecho desde el inicio de la guerra, alrededor del 12 % del total.
De esos buques, unos 30 son petroleros o gaseros, según un análisis de datos de Bloomberg, que recopila información de diversas organizaciones.
China
Los países asiáticos se han visto muy afectados por el cierre.
Las empresas chinas cuentan con 74 buques de carga en la zona, 25 de los cuales son petroleros y gaseros. El resto son buques de carga seca a granel, como los portacontenedores.
Japón
Las empresas japonesas tienen al menos 23 buques de petróleo y gas y 16 buques de carga seca en el estrecho.
Además, 25 buques de Hong Kong —13 de petróleo y gas, 12 de carga seca— también se encuentran en la región.
India
Las empresas con sede en la India cuentan con 24 buques de petróleo y gas en la zona.
Las empresas de Singapur y Corea del Sur también se han visto afectadas, con 29 y 22 buques de mercancías, respectivamente, atascados desde que comenzó la guerra.
Vietnam tiene tres grandes buques de transporte de gas en la zona.
Petróleo y gas
Alrededor de 50 superpetroleros (VLCC) parecen estar varados, junto con 11 supergaseros.
Corea del Sur cuenta con siete de los VLCC, las empresas de China y Japón cuentan con seis cada una, y Grecia con cinco.
Buques vinculados a Irán
De las 225 travesías realizadas por buques de carga desde el inicio de la guerra, más de 40 fueron de buques iraníes, según datos de la empresa de inteligencia marítima Kpler.
Otras 60 fueron de buques que no enarbolan pabellón ni son propiedad directa de Irán, pero que están sancionados por Estados Unidos en el marco de su programa sobre Irán.
Travesías griegas y chinas
Unas 35 travesías han sido realizadas por buques de propiedad griega, incluidas ocho de una sola empresa, Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd.
Al menos 20 buques afiliados a China y 13 vinculados a la India han realizado el trayecto.
Algunos buques parecen haber cruzado el estrecho a través de un sistema de verificación en el que Irán concede paso seguro a ciertos buques de países amigos.
Buques estadounidenses en el punto de mira
Cientos de buques parecen estar esperando a que pase la guerra, dados los altísimos costos de los seguros y el peligro para la vida y la carga.
De los buques en la zona que informaron de ataques o actividades sospechosas, alrededor de la mitad estaban vinculados a Europa o a Estados Unidos, según el Servicio de Operaciones de Comercio Marítimo del Reino Unido y la información sobre la propiedad disponible públicamente.
(Con información de AFP)
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