INTERNACIONAL
Inside Trump’s urgent meeting with House GOP to pass the ‘big, beautiful bill’
President Donald Trump rallied House Republicans behind closed doors to pass his «one big, beautiful bill» as soon as possible – and to quickly resolve their interparty disagreements in the process.
Trump made a rare visit to Capitol Hill just days before the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a massive bill advancing his agenda on tax, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit.
It is a reflection of the high stakes that congressional Republicans and the White House are facing, with just razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate.
Trump warned House Republicans to not «f— around» with Medicaid and state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps, two significant points of contention for warring GOP factions, two people in the room told Fox News Digital.
MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE
President Donald Trump, left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson are working to pass his «big, beautiful bill.» (Getty Images)
Two people said Trump targeted Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., on SALT specifically. Lawler, one of just three Republicans in districts Trump lost in 2024, has been one of the most vocal proponents of a higher SALT deduction cap.
«I know your district better than you do. If you lose because of SALT, you were going to lose anyway,» Trump said during his remarks, the sources told Fox News Digital.
When asked about those comments by reporters after the meeting, Lawler said, «The issue of SALT is one of the biggest issues impacting my district. It’s the reason I won.»
«I made very clear when I ran for office back in ’22 that I would never support a tax bill that does not adequately lift the cap on SALT,» Lawler said.
Meanwhile, three sources in the room said Trump also targeted Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has frustrated both the president and House GOP leaders in the past by bucking the party line. Trump had called Massie a «grandstander» in public comments to reporters minutes before the meeting.
Massie told reporters when asked for his response, «It would be ironic if one of you guys who stopped me, wants to report that I’m a grandstander. Because you are the ones who are performing this, standing. I would be walking.»
«I don’t think he wants to talk about cutting spending,» Massie said of Trump.
President Donald Trump targeted Rep. Mike Lawler, pictured here, in his comments, Fox News Digital was told. (Tierney L. Cross)
SALT deduction caps and Medicaid remain two of the biggest sticking points in Republican negotiations. SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles and their surrounding suburbs. Republicans representing those areas have argued that raising the SALT deduction cap is a critical issue and that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms.
Republicans in redder, lower-tax areas have said in response that SALT deductions favor wealthy people living in Democrat-controlled states and that such deductions reward progressive high-tax policies.
It was Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that first instituted caps on SALT deductions – setting the maximum at $10,000 for both married couples and single filers.
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SALT Caucus members like Lawler have rejected House Republican leaders’ offer to increase that to $30,000, but Trump told those Republicans to accept what offer was on the table, according to people in the room.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, meanwhile, are pushing for the bill to be more aggressive in cutting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system, including a faster timeline for implementing work requirements for able-bodied recipients. Currently, the legislation has work requirements kicking in 2029.
They also want to restructure Medicaid cost-sharing to put a bigger burden on the states.
Moderates, meanwhile, have been wary of making significant cuts to the program.
President Donald Trump also singled out Rep. Thomas Massie. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A White House official said Trump stressed he wanted complete unity on the bill, and «made it clear he’s losing patience with all holdout factions of the House Republican Conference, including the SALT Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus.»
He also urged Republicans to debate SALT «later» while warning, «Don’t touch Medicaid except for eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, including booting off illegal immigrants and common-sense work requirements,» the White House official said.
However, lawmakers leaving the meeting appear to have taken away very different conclusions.
«He’s just like, listen. I think where we’re at with the bill is good, and to keep pushing for more will be difficult,» Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said of Trump’s Medicaid comments.
House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., similarly said, «I think he’s referring to members who want to change the approach that the Energy & Commerce Committee has taken.»
«He thinks they’ve taken a good, balanced approach to preserve the program, enhance the program, while narrowing the scope and hunting out waste, fraud, and abuse,» Hill said.
Meanwhile, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital, «I think the president will not mind changes that…decrease waste, fraud, and abuse in the bill.»
However, it is unclear how much Trump’s message moved Republicans who were skeptical of the bill previously.
Harris came out of the meeting insisting the House-wide vote should be delayed, so House Republicans could take more time to negotiate the bill.
Additionally, SALT Caucus Republicans like Lawler, as well as Reps. Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino of New York, indicated to reporters they would oppose the bill as currently written.
Some last-minute changes are expected to be made to the legislation before a 1 a.m. House Rules Committee meeting to advance the bill. The powerful panel acts as the final gatekeeper to most legislation before a House-wide vote.
Rep. Andy Harris said President Donald Trump will likely «not mind changes» to Medicaid. (Getty Images)
However, it is unclear now if changes will be made to SALT deduction caps or Medicaid after Trump urged Republicans to clear up both fights.
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Republicans are working to pass Trump’s policies on tax, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt all in one massive bill via the budget reconciliation process.
Budget reconciliation lowers the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, thereby allowing the party in power to skirt the minority — in this case, Democrats — to pass sweeping pieces of legislation, provided they deal with the federal budget, taxation, or the national debt.
House Republicans are hoping to advance Trump’s bill through the House by the end of this week, with a goal of a final bill on the president’s desk by the Fourth of July.
House Of Representatives,Donald Trump,House Budget
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De las empresas a los consumidores: ¿Quién pagará la factura de los aranceles de Donald Trump?
Varias variedades de camarones crudos provenientes de países como Argentina, India e Indonesia se exhiben en la sección de mariscos de un Walmart Supercenter en Grapevine, Texas. Foto ReutersCasos y ejemplos
Estados Unidos,Donald Trump,Aranceles
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Dem challenger calls GOP congresswoman ‘ESL puppet’ in heated immigration post: ‘Vile extremist’
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EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., responded to comments from a Democratic challenger referring to her as an «ESL puppet» in a post criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
«My story is not unique. It’s the story of so many Korean Americans and immigrants across the country who are proud Americans and are making our communities better every day. I’m proud of my accent and will keep using my voice to protect the American dream for future generations,» Kim told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
«It’s a new low for a child of Korean immigrants to move to a district two hours away to parrot race-baiting, anti-immigrant slurs targeting a fellow Korean American. Young is the most effective federal lawmaker from California and continues to prove she’s an independent fighter for her community,» Callie Strock, campaign spokesperson for Kim added.
Democrat Esther Kim Varet’s post Wednesday night included screenshots from a National Republican Campaign Committee X post that says Kim Varet is «radical,» «anti-ICE,» and «pushing fringe conspiracy theories.»
It also included screenshots of various news articles about Asian immigrants facing deportation and other woes as ICE doubles down on deportation efforts.
TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION RESET IS LIFTING WAGES AND FORCING REAL ECONOMIC REFORM
Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., speaks during a hearing March 10, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Ting Shen-Pool/Getty Images)
«Remember when your own racist MAGA party couldn’t tell your much older a– apart from me [Rep. Kim]?» Kim Varet wrote. «You’re a power-hungry Korean-born immigrant that has sold your conscience to the devil – at the price of all hard-working immigrants. You don’t work hard, you and your husband are the biggest GRIFTERS representing the swamp – putrid and pussing from the rot that is your soul.
«Don’t you even realize that OUR shared Korean-American community has the highest number of undocumented immigrants amongst Asians?» she added. «You don’t even speak English well enough to hold a single cohesive argument. You ESL puppet. So embarrassing. A real life Judas to our community. You sicken me [Rep. Kim].»
The posts quickly caught the attention of the NRCC as it focuses on competitive House races.
MOM OF MS-13 MURDER VICTIM CONFRONTS DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER’S ‘TRAP’ QUESTION AT SENATE BORDER HEARING
National Guard soldiers block protesters during an ICE immigration raid at a nearby cannabis farm July 10, 2025, near Camarillo, Calif. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)
The comments come as ICE operations continue to be a major topic of debate in the Golden State. Most Republicans argue the efforts are necessary for public safety, while others worry it’s harming immigrant communities.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
«Unhinged Democrat Esther Kim Varet is a hate-filled bigot who embodies the worst of today’s political discourse. Californians will reject this vile extremist who has no business representing them in Congress,» NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez said in a statement Thursday.
In response to the NRCC’s comments, Varet told Fox News Digital it «seems like par for the course that national Republicans can’t tell Asians apart.»
IMMIGRANTS NEEDED FOR ‘REDISTRICTING PURPOSES,’ HOUSE DEM ADMITS IN VIRAL CLIP: ‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, and current Gov. Gavin Newsom are on opposite sides in the push for mid-decade congressional redistricting. (Getty;AP)
California congressional seats could face redrawing for the 2026 cycle, but the fate of redistricting is still to be battled out nationwide. Still, Kim could be in yet another closely watched race after President Donald Trump won the district narrowly in 2024. Kim defeated Democrat Joe Kerr by over 40,000 votes in November.
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Kim Varet is one of several candidates in a wide Democratic field seeking to challenge the incumbent Republican in the general election, according to Politico. Cook Political Report ranks the race as «Lean Republican.»
immigration,congress,democrats,california,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Al menos cinco muertos y diez heridos en un ataque israelí en la frontera entre Líbano y Siria
Al menos cinco personas murieron y otras diez resultaron heridas en un ataque perpetrado este jueves por el Ejército de Israel en el paso fronterizo de Masnaa, que se encuentra en la gobernación libanesa de Becá (este), a pesar del alto el fuego alcanzado en noviembre de 2024.
El Ministerio de Sanidad de Líbano informó a través de un breve comunicado recogido por la agencia de noticias NNA de que se trata de un balance preliminar y sostiene que “el ataque del enemigo israelí” tuvo como objetivo un vehículo ubicado en la carretera de Masnaa. Por el momento, el Ejército de Israel no se ha pronunciado al respecto.
Por otro lado, la cartera ministerial confirmó también la muerte de una persona en un ataque aéreo en la localidad de Kfardan, en la gobernación de Baalbek, que se encuentra en el extremo nororiental del país.
Israel justifica este tipo de ataques contra Líbano argumentando que actúa contra actividades del grupo terrorista Hezbollah y que, por ello, no viola el alto el fuego pactado en noviembre, si bien tanto Beirut como el grupo se han mostrado críticos con estas acciones, igualmente condenadas por Naciones Unidas.
El pacto, alcanzado tras meses de combates al hilo de los ataques del 7 de octubre de 2023, contemplaba que tanto Israel como Hezbollah debían retirar sus efectivos del sur de Líbano. Sin embargo, el Ejército israelí ha mantenido cinco puestos en el territorio de su país vecino, algo también criticado por las autoridades libanesas, que exige el fin de este despliegue.
Por otra parte, el Consejo de Ministros de Líbano aprobó este jueves la propuesta de Estados Unidos sobre el desarme de Hezbollah. El anuncio se produjo tras una sesión celebrada en el Palacio de Baabda, en la que el gabinete libanés avaló los objetivos presentes en el documento presentado por el enviado estadounidense Tom Barrack.
El ministro de Información, Paul Morcos, declaró que “el gabinete ha concluido el debate del primer punto de su sesión y ha aprobado los objetivos establecidos en la introducción del documento estadounidense para consolidar el acuerdo de cese de hostilidades”.
Morcos señaló que el gobierno sigue “a la espera de un plan de implementación del Ejército” y afirmó: “Hemos acordado poner fin a la presencia armada en todo el país, incluido Hezbollah, y desplegar el Ejército libanés en las zonas fronterizas”, según declaraciones recogidas por NNA.
El documento estadounidense propone que Líbano adopte medidas que extiendan su soberanía sobre todo su territorio, incluyendo el monopolio estatal sobre la decisión de guerra y paz, así como sobre el uso de las armas. Plantea la progresiva eliminación de la presencia armada de todas las facciones no estatales, incluido Hezbollah, la movilización del ejército en puntos clave de la frontera y la retirada de Israel de las zonas libanesas que ocupa actualmente.
El plan insta a resolver los puntos pendientes con Israel mediante “negociaciones indirectas y medios diplomáticos”, y contempla el retorno de los residentes desplazados a sus localidades afectadas por el conflicto. También reclama una delimitación “permanente y visible” de las fronteras de Líbano con Israel y Siria. Washington ha propuesto una conferencia económica internacional para reconstruir la economía libanesa y canalizar más apoyo a las fuerzas de seguridad del país, vinculando estos pasos a la visión del expresidente Donald Trump para el desarrollo económico nacional.
El enviado estadounidense, Tom Barrack, afirmó este jueves que el gobierno libanés tomó una decisión “histórica” esta semana al avanzar hacia el desarme de Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, tal como ha solicitado Washington.
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