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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.»
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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
Qué sabemos realmente sobre la electricidad estática y por qué aún asombra a la física moderna
La electricidad estática se manifiesta en situaciones tan cotidianas como el cabello erizado al frotar un globo o el leve chasquido al tocar una manija después de caminar sobre una alfombra. Bajo esa apariencia cotidiana, la triboelectricidad —el intercambio de cargas opuestas entre materiales— representa un desafío persistente para la física experimental, que aún no ha logrado desentrañar plenamente su funcionamiento.
Este fenómeno ocurre cuando dos materiales entran en contacto y luego se separan, generando cargas opuestas en cada uno. Aunque la explicación completa de su mecánica sigue sin resolverse, la física ha reconocido la triboelectricidad como un proceso en el que abundan las incógnitas.
Mientras la mayoría de las personas vincula la electricidad estática a simples curiosidades domésticas, los científicos la identifican como un fenómeno en el que los mecanismos fundamentales permanecen en gran parte desconocidos.
Incertidumbre sobre el mecanismo de la triboelectricidad
Durante aproximadamente los últimos tres siglos, la física experimental ha intentado establecer qué ocurre exactamente cuando dos materiales se ponen en contacto y después se separan. Está confirmado que uno de ellos adquiere una carga positiva y el otro, una carga negativa. Sin embargo, los detalles sobre el proceso —el “cómo” y el “por qué”— siguen sin respuesta clara, a pesar de la ubicuidad cotidiana del fenómeno.
En el centro del interés científico reside la siguiente cuestión: ¿qué es lo que realmente se transfiere entre los materiales? Algunas de las principales hipótesis, formuladas por investigadores en física de materiales, sugieren la transferencia de electrones, iones e incluso fragmentos microscópicos de materia. Sin embargo, experimentos llevados a cabo bajo condiciones idénticas pueden mostrar resultados diferentes o contradictorios, lo que indica la posible existencia de factores desconocidos.
Los expertos han denominado este proceso triboelectricidad, término derivado del griego por “frotar” y “ámbar”. A pesar de contar con tecnología de última generación en laboratorios especializados, los físicos no han logrado ofrecer una explicación universal.
Avances recientes y factores que influyen en la carga eléctrica
Investigaciones recientes lideradas por equipos de física de materiales han comenzado a aportar claridad. Un descubrimiento relevante, demostrado por el físico del Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Austria Scott Waitukaitis, mostró que dos objetos idénticos pueden cargarse de manera distinta dependiendo de cuántas veces han interactuado entre sí anteriormente. Este hallazgo respalda la hipótesis de una cierta memoria superficial en los materiales.
Otro descubrimiento proviene de investigaciones que identificaron cómo partículas invisibles pueden adherirse a las superficies de los materiales. Estas diminutas moléculas ricas en carbono, presentes en el aire, pueden modificar la dirección del intercambio de carga. Al eliminar estas moléculas mediante calor, se observó que el comportamiento eléctrico cambia significativamente, mostrando que los factores ambientales pueden ser determinantes.
Además, las investigaciones han comprobado que variables como la velocidad del contacto, el área de impacto o la ruptura de enlaces químicos juegan un papel fundamental. En ciertas colisiones, la creación de condiciones químicas propicias permite el intercambio de electrones. Aunque estas novedades no resuelven todas las incógnitas, han permitido enriquecer la comprensión de la triboelectricidad.
Un estudio publicado por el propio equipo de Waitukaitis reveló que, al modificar las condiciones superficiales y ambientales, como la presencia de moléculas contaminantes o la humedad, se pueden obtener resultados radicalmente diferentes en experimentos idénticos. Este hallazgo obligó a reconsiderar la idea de que el comportamiento eléctrico depende únicamente de la naturaleza intrínseca de los materiales.
Desafíos en la comprensión y aplicaciones tecnológicas
Lejos de simplificarse, el conocimiento sobre la electricidad estática ha demostrado que su comportamiento varía en función de numerosos factores y condiciones. La antigua noción de una “serie triboeléctrica” fija ha sido puesta en duda. Cada interacción resulta de una combinación compleja de variables.
El interés por descifrar completamente estos mecanismos tampoco es exclusivo del ámbito académico. Una comprensión profunda podría transformar tecnologías emergentes, como el desarrollo de nanogeneradores triboeléctricos, que convierten el movimiento en electricidad y permitirían alimentar sensores y dispositivos portátiles sin baterías convencionales. Además, este conocimiento es esencial para mitigar descargas peligrosas en entornos industriales o para explicar fenómenos eléctricos en otros planetas, como las tormentas de polvo en Marte.
Origen histórico y evolución científica del fenómeno
La historia de la electricidad estática se remonta a la Grecia antigua, cuando se advirtió que el ámbar frotado atraía objetos ligeros. A lo largo de los siglos, este fenómeno ha acompañado a la humanidad como una curiosidad recurrente. Por mucho tiempo, la electricidad estática fue considerada una rareza doméstica, hasta que los avances científicos la transformaron en objeto de estudio especializado.
Actualmente, la electricidad estática ocupa un lugar de permanente interés en la física experimental, donde cada avance abre nuevas preguntas y amplía el alcance de la investigación científica.
electricidad,estática,energía,conexión,manos,dedos,interacción,chispa,física,corriente
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White House slams ‘trash reporting’ over claims ICE chief hospitalized for stress, yelled at by Trump admin
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The White House pushed back hard Friday amid a news report that Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues with the Trump administration that left him visibly upset and strained.
The pushback came following a Politico report that said Lyons was hospitalized at least twice for stress-related issues while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The stress has left Lyons unable to carry out key decisions, the report states, citing two current and two former administration officials, who were unnamed.
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ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons was reportedly hospitalized at least twice amid pressure from the Trump administration to ramp up deportations of illegal immigrants, according to a Politico report. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images andJohn Moore/Getty Images )
«He would be visibly upset and struggling to make the decisions that were needed to be made by the director,» one former unnamed official told the news website.
«Trash reporting from a trash «reporter» pushing tabloid b*******in an attempt to divide and distract. Todd Lyons is an American Patriot,» the White House Rapid Response X account said in response to the story.
The episodes were attributed to pressure from above for Lyons to ramp up deportations and from top adviser Stephen Miller, who allegedly yelled at Lyons during morning phone calls with administration officials, Politico reported.
«This is b******* and more of the trash that Daniel Lippman has peddled over the years in the name of clicks and clout,» Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, wrote on X in response to Politico reporter’s story.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Politico was given «on record» denials prior to the story being published.
WHITE HOUSE BLASTS TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT AS A ‘BUFFOON’ AFTER JEFFRIES BRANDS STEPHEN MILLER A ‘HATEFUL BIGOT’
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller speaks during the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) headquarters in Doral, Florida, on March 5, 2026. (Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP via Getty Images)
«Shame on Politico for publishing such inaccurate trash,» Jackson wrote on X. «Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities. And the American people are deeply appreciative for his hard work making our country safer. Despite multiple on record denials and sources refuting their pathetic ‘reporting’ and *still* ran with this absurd article.»
The reported hospitalizations took place over several months. In one incident, Lyons was driven to a hospital by his security detail and he was admitted overnight.
In September, Lyons became distressed that ICE agents were unable to locate an illegal immigrant in Los Ángeles during a ride along with top administration officials.
One of his bodyguards took a portable defibrillator from a nearby government office to Lyons in case he needed medical intervention, the report said.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons speaking at a press conference at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston on June 2. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
After heated calls with Miller, Lyons expressed frustration that the White House was often mad at his agency, according to the current official and former official who heard such comments.
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«Todd, Stephen, and the entire White House team have a great working relationship and coordinate closely to deliver on the president’s many promises,» White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. «Todd Lyons is an American patriot who has worked tirelessly to undo Biden’s disastrous immigration policies that wreaked havoc on American communities.»
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and Politico.
white house, police and law enforcement, us, border security
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