Trump expected to sign tax-and-spending bill in win for administration
Trump has touted the legislation's passage as a 'birthday present for America', speaking before a crowd at a campaign-style rally in Iowa on Thursday evening, even as Democrats expressed their displeasure at the spending package.
After months of deliberations, the bill passed by a single vote in the Senate and later passed the House with a 219 to 213 vote on Thursday, with only two Republicans voting against it.
The sweeping legislation accomplishes what rightwingers have pushed for, for decades, as the Guardian explained this week, and provides Trump a huge legislative win.
The bill, once signed into law, will significantly cut taxes, building on the 2017 tax cuts during Trump's first term. Although temporary tax exemptions for tips, overtime pay and car loan interest are included, research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the bill is skewed to the rich, with the wealthiest in the US benefiting the most from the tax relief.
Additionally, the law, once signed by Trump, will add new restrictions to Medicaid, which provides healthcare to low-income and disabled people, and Snap, also known as food stamps, which helps low-income people afford food.
Researchers estimate that the Medicaid cutbacks will leave as many as 11.8 million people without healthcare, while 8 million people will lose their Snap benefits. Critics say that the Medicaid cuts will have massive ripple effects on healthcare nationwide.
'This is highway robbery,' the Democratic senator Raphael Warnock posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'The bill Republicans just passed steals from you to give to the rich.' Proponents of the bill say that the Medicaid and Snap changes are designed to root out waste and abuse.
Additionally, the spending package will allocate $170m to immigration enforcement, a monumental amount of money that will help support the Trump administration's push to engage in 'mass deportations'.
'This disgraceful, anti-immigrant budget hands the Trump administration a blank check to further ramp up its shameful efforts to terrorize American communities and separate families,' said Nicole Melaku, the executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, an immigrants' rights organization.
'Instead of safeguarding people's access to healthcare and wellness, the bill gives tax cuts to big corporations and funnels billions of dollars to hire more immigration agents, build more immigration jails and deny people their fair day in court.'
Already, the Trump administration has engaged in widespread attacks on immigrant communities, by increasing resources to immigration enforcement operations.
'This budget promises to supercharge US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests that disappear community members, leave children parentless and threaten constitutional and due-process rights for all of us,' said Meg McCarthy, executive director of the National Immigrant Justice Center, alegal organization.
A recent Guardian analysis shows that undocumented immigrants without any criminal history have been arrested at an exponentially increasing rate, after top White House officials instructed agents to increase arrests.
Trump temporarily walked back some of Ice's aggressive immigration enforcement actions after complaints from leaders in the farming and hospitality industries: last month, the Trump administration engaged in a short-lived pause on raids at farms, restaurants and hotels. But at Thursday's event, Trump again brought up the idea of pausing large-scale enforcement on farms.
'If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people in some way, Kristi, I think we're going to have to just say that's going to be good, right?' Trump said to the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem. 'We don't want to do it where we take all of the workers off the farms.'
In addition to tax cuts, restrictions on Medicaid and Snap and the aggressive supercharging of immigration enforcement, the bill seeks to end green energy incentives created under Joe Biden, seen as a further blow against efforts to combat the climate crisis.
The US budget deficit will increase with this bill, leading to opposition by some Trump allies. The non-partisan congressional budget office estimates the bill will add $3.3tn to the country's debt through 2034, leading to clashes with some rightwingers.
One of the two Republicans who voted against the bill, Thomas Massie, said he opposed the spending bill 'because it will significantly increase US budget deficits in the near term, negatively impacting all Americans through sustained inflation and high interest rates'.
Elon Musk, the rightwing billionaire who established the federal government's office tasked with slashing federal spending during the first few months of the Trump administration, has also publicly called out the spending bill.
Days before Congress passed the bill, Musk repeated his call for the creation of a new political party to oppose the Republicans and Democrats.
— The Guardian
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Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump's tariff threat reignites union push in Ireland's billion-euro pharma sector
As negotiations between the European Commission and the US conclude after almost 90 days of talks, an agreement has been deemed 'absolutely essential' to ensure a level of certainty for Irish exporters reliant on the US market. Among them is Ireland's mammoth pharmaceutical sector, a cornerstone of the national economy, which, since US President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement, has remained stuck in the cross-hairs of his global tariff onslaught. Ireland is one of the largest pharmaceutical exporters in the world due to the several large US firms operating here, with their earnings contributing significantly to the Exchequer's corporation tax receipts. While initially excluded from punitive measures, the booming industry now faces renewed scrutiny from Mr Trump, which, in his view, has flourished at America's expense. After calling out Ireland specifically for benefiting from US companies, Mr Trump last month said tariffs on pharmaceuticals would come 'very soon,' which would help bring multinationals back to America. Historically, Ireland's pharmaceutical sector has been defined by stable demand and high-paying salaries, particularly within the industry's epicentre in Cork, which hosts pharma giants Merck, AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, Thermo Fischer Scientific, Eli Lilly and GE Healthcare, among others. The concentration of these firms has made Ireland's southern region the wealthiest area in the European Union (EU), recording the largest GDP per capita in 2022, according to Eurostat. Despite this economic strength, collective bargaining in the sector has remained relatively limited. However, with rising uncertainty and looming tariff fears, momentum for unionisation is growing. 'We saw a sharp spike in union membership following Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement,' says Siptu Manufacturing Divisional Organiser Neil McGowan. The trade union currently counts some 13,500 members from the pharmaceutical industry, the majority of whom are based in Cork. 'There's a lot of uncertainty in the air at the moment. I think Liberation Day made a lot of workers sit up and think, 'Are we really ready for what could happen?' Mr McGowan told the Irish Examiner. However, unionisation efforts have presented mixed results, he said, with some companies refusing to recognise or interact with Siptu when addressing worker disputes. 'It can be incredibly frustrating at times. We have members who want us there, who want to bargain collectively, and their company refuses to acknowledge us,' Mr McGowan said. But the fight doesn't stop there. Last month, trade union members at the Kinsale branch of US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly welcomed a Labour Court recommendation urging their employer to allow for collective representation by Siptu during workplace disputes. Union members at the Kinsale branch of US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly welcomed a Labour Court recommendation urging their employer to allow for collective representation by Siptu during workplace disputes. '[Eli] Lilly staff are on a journey for recognition, but senior management doesn't want to acknowledge us,' says Siptu sector organiser, Andrea Cleere. 'It has been denying our members the right to be supported by the union in individual workplaces, which is contrary Workplace Relations Commission's Code of Practice." But as Ms Cleere points out, Labour Court findings are reliant on the company choosing to acknowledge them. 'This is the problem with Ireland's weak voluntarist model of industrial relations. 'It allows companies to flout the Labour Court whenever it sides with workers seeking their basic human right to bargain collectively.' In May, workers at the Cork branch of pharmaceutical giant AbbVie served a notice of industrial action after the company refused to engage with employees' chosen trade union. Ms Cleere says AbbVie opted not to acknowledge the union despite workers securing two Labour Court recommendations urging the employer to recognise Siptu for collective bargaining purposes. "Numerous attempts to resolve issues of pay and union recognition through negotiations were refused by management,' Ms Cleere told the Irish Examiner. 'Companies simply don't need to do anything, meaning circumstances are always stacked against the worker.' 'Employee rights can be so easily forgotten. We pump money into big firms through the IDA or Enterprise Ireland without any requirement that they take care of their workers.' An AbbVie pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Sligo. In May, workers at the Cork branch of pharmaceutical giant AbbVie served a notice of industrial action after the company refused to engage with employees' chosen trade union. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Eli Lilly said: "Lilly does not comment on specific employee relations matters. "Our direct employee engagement model promotes open communication and teamwork, creating an inclusive work environment where all voices are heard. We prioritise transparency and mutual respect, empowering our employees to contribute to our mission." AbbVie did not respond when contacted for comment. While layoffs in the pharmaceutical sector remain unlikely, Mr McGowan says worker concerns extend far beyond just job cuts. 'Pay is always a significant issue, but more than anything, people just want to have their say. Oftentimes, large multinationals operating in Ireland have decisions made by their foreign headquarters, which can be very frustrating for those here on the ground. 'Irish pharma remains particularly exposed to Trump's tariff threats, as do these workers. They deserve to have a voice.' But as the organiser notes, sometimes not having a union recognised is the least of their concerns. 'Union-busting is extremely prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry and happens on nearly every site. 'We have outside meetings where members fear being followed by senior management. We've heard cases of staff being guilt-tripped and being made to feel like they're damaging the company's reputation. 'Life at work can be made very difficult for union members. From bogus disciplinary measures to exclusion, people often pay the price for being part of a union. We've even seen cases of people being paid off by their company for taking part in union activity.' At around 35%, trade union coverage in Ireland is notably weak in a European context, falling far below the EU average of around 60%. Despite implementing an EU Directive last year requiring an action plan to raise coverage to over 80%, Ms Cleere says the Government has done the 'bare minimum' to increase the strength of trade unions. The EU Directive of Adequate Minimum Wages calls on the governments of EU Member States to draw up an action plan to increase collective bargaining coverage in their economies to over 80%. Countries below the mandated 80% figure will be asked to provide a framework to further enable conditions for collective bargaining as well as establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining and increase coverage rates. Although the directive does not set a specific deadline for the adoption of the action plan, the European Commission has urged member states with a collective bargaining coverage below 80% to establish them by the end of 2025 'at the latest'. Approached by the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the Department of Enterprise said the Government was committed to publishing the action plan by the end of 2025. 'A public consultation on the possible content of the action plan was held by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment recently.' 'The outcome of the consultation process will help guide the Department in finalising the proposals, both legislative and administrative, which may be considered for inclusion in the action plan,' the spokesperson concluded. But as Ms Cleere argues, bold measures are needed to bring Ireland's coverage rate to the EU requirement. 'If the Government is serious about increasing coverage, companies need to be penalised if they refuse to recognise unions.' 'We've seen time and time again that unionised companies are more productive than their non-unionised counterparts. 'It is in the pharma industry's best interest to do this, it's just a shame it can't see that on its own.'
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Trump signs 'big, beautiful' bill on US Independence Day
US President Donald Trump signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts at the White House during an outdoor ceremony on the Fourth of July holiday. With military jets flying overhead and hundreds of supporters in attendance, Mr Trump signed the bill one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of the president's second term. The bill, which will fund Mr Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Mr Trump said at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history," he said. Mr Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the 4 July Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Mr Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. After a speech that included boastful claims about the ascendance of America on his watch, Mr Trump signed the bill, posed for pictures with Republican congressional leaders and members of his cabinet, and waded through the crowd of happy supporters. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Mr Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a non-partisan analysis predicting it will add more than $3 trillion (€2.5 trillion) to the nation's $36.2 trillion debt. While some politicians in Mr Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programmes, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin predicted the law would cost Republicans votes in congressional elections in 2026. "Today, Donald Trump sealed the fate of the Republican Party, cementing them as the party for billionaires and special interests - not working families," Mr Martin said in a statement. "This legislation will hang around the necks of the GOP for years to come. This was a full betrayal of the American people. Today, we are putting Republicans on notice: you will lose your majority," he added.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Beware this new race to the bottom of the ocean
Space, as Captain Kirk used to remind us, is the 'final frontier'. But the environment that might concern us most in the next 50 years is the ocean. As a country that has a long coastline, more than 7,500km of it, and extensive claims to the seabeds that surround us, we must pay close attention to what is happening on the seas, beneath them, and above the ocean waves. For those who value our native birdlife — and that is all of us, surely — Ireland's belated efforts to recognise and protect the breeding and feeding grounds which create a diversity of species are a welcome, if overdue, move. Birdwatch Ireland wants the Government to catch up with European colleagues in designating key locations — 73 in our case, 24 of them out at sea — as protected areas. These include marine locations where birds gather in numbers to eat, preen, and socialise. There are increasing threats, including intensive offshore developments, such as wind farms. Greedy eyes are being cast over myriad opportunities to colonise the seas, which go way beyond the current human depredations of intensive fishing, plastic pollution, and climate change. Last month's UN conference on the oceans in Nice — non-participants included the US, of course — spent much time focusing on the potential impact of deep-sea mining. This is an activity that has only been undertaken on a small exploratory scale so far, but runs the risk of expanding exponentially as the pursuit of the world's rare minerals — the ones needed to power technology and energy transition — rapidly gathers pace. Deep-sea mining involves extracting resources from ocean floors rich in cobalt, manganese, nickel, and copper, often at depths of between 4,000-6,000m. US president Donald Trump has already issued an executive order entitled 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. This observes that the US has a 'core national security and economic interest' in developing seabed minerals. UN restrictions, it says, would be 'inconsistent' with its sovereignty. But the US is far from alone in its ambitions. Norway, with its huge experience in oil and gas exploration, is in the vanguard of countries jockeying for position. Canada and South Korea are also prime movers. China and Russia, in the Arctic, view deep-sea mining as a vital element of longer-term geopolitical strategies. Some analysts believe that there is a $17 trillion profit to be gained, mainly for private mining companies. But in the enthusiasm to stake a claim in the new Klondike, little thought has been given to the net costs and environmental and economic impacts. Some scientists worry that entire ecosystems could be destroyed by devastating the sea floor and that marine life would be smothered by plumes of sediment. We are one of the 37 countries that have backed a precautionary moratorium and called for more research. Anyone who has watched David Attenborough's most recent National Geographic documentary, Ocean, on Disney+ — some critics say it is his greatest and most challenging work — will appreciate the scale of threat to marine life. But mineral exploitation is a topic which is barely on the radar of the general public at this time. This will change as consequences become apparent. Humankind may remember what happened to the Ancient Mariner in the poem by Samuel Coleridge, when he had the temerity to interfere recklessly in the natural order of life. In that case, the unfortunate seaman was lucky enough to find redemption and salvation by changing his ways. Based on current evidence, we may not be so fortunate. 'Beat the Lotto' a reminder of simpler times Because there is plenty to make us grimace in 2025, anything which leavens the mixture, or transports us back to more innocent, less frenetic, times is welcome. Into that category should be placed Ross Whitaker's enjoyable account of a syndicate's 1992 attempt to game the national lottery, ensure the jackpot prize for themselves, beat the system, and earn the admiration of many, if not quite all, fellow citizens for their cheek and enterprise. Stefan Klincewicz speaking with Pat Kenny on his TV chat show in the 1990s in the new documentary, 'Beat the Lotto'. Beat the Lotto, which reaches cinemas this weekend, recreates the caper where a group, headed by Cork mathematician and accountant Stefan Klincewicz, devised a cunning plan to buy every possible lottery combination requiring some two million number squares to be filled in by hand. The story of what happened is an irresistible tribute to ingenuity and the concept that hope springs eternal in the human breast. And our collective love for some good-tempered roguish humour. Ocean's Eleven it's not, but its portrayal of Ireland in the late 1980s/early '90s, the dog days before the arrival of the Celtic Tiger and the era when booms were getting boomier, is unmissable. It's a shame, but perhaps understandable that the National Lottery didn't take the chance to contribute but, as the director says, they 'didn't remember the episode all that fondly'. Like another foundation story of 21st-century Ireland, the movie Saipan, which retells the story of the schism between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup, it's an episode which could, perhaps, only have been created here. And it's none the worse for that. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Long-awaited reforms to defamation law Long-awaited reforms to Ireland's restrictive and punitive libel laws were finally passed by the Dáil this week, but not without some grudging commentary from TDs, which will fuel opinions that the bill doesn't go nearly far enough. It is unfortunate that the requirement for complainants to pass a 'serious harm' threshold was placed in the 'too difficult' tray by those who drafted the legislation, as it affects retail and hospitality businesses. Challenging a suspected shoplifter or someone exhibiting excessively lairy behaviour at a nightclub remains a gamble, and there remains no meaningful deterrent to frivolous or vexatious defamation claims. Hard-pressed shopkeepers and managers — and there are plenty of those in Ireland's villages, towns, and cities — will still have to decide whether to defend actions and incur costs which can rise to €20,000 or turn to their insurance and incur higher premiums. Even a victory may offer scant chance of recovery if the complainant has no means to pay. This aspect of the new law will fail to change behaviour despite justice minister Jim O'Callaghan's exhortation that businesses should 'not take the easy route' and pay out. Many of the headlines have already been generated by the legal changes which have removed jury trial from the equation, and the 83-61 vote in favour now sends the proposals forward to the Seanad. Ireland's defamation laws have remained unaltered since 2009, since then we have seen the explosive growth of social media and the creation of a Wild West of opinion and commentary which is instant, and often egregious and untrue. Simultaneously, much of what is often categorised as 'old mainstream media' has seen revenues migrate to online competitors. Public understanding of the changed financial circumstances lags the actual reality. Thousands of newspapers around the globe have closed, and many thousands of journalists have lost their jobs. While this produces a tune on the world's smallest violin from some politicians, those losses are a worry for democracy and a threat to the common wealth. Even as the bill has been progressing it has been marked by litigation which proved again that defending an action by a libel claimant is a precarious pastime. This week, Ryan Casey, the partner of murdered schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, won substantial damages from the BBC after it broadcast a discussion about the content of his victim impact statement in its Northern Ireland political programme The View. It was the second court defeat in Ireland in recent weeks for the corporation after Gerry Adams won damages of €100,000 in a case which incurred costs of between €3m-€5m. These eye-watering sums would drive many publishers out of business. Ireland's new bill includes a public interest defence provided statements are published in good faith and reasonable enquiries and checks have been made prior to publication. Such an argument has never been successfully run in the Republic. Whether there is a queue of editors lining up to be the first to test its efficacy is questionable, but there must be protections for honest journalism and enquiry, particularly at a local level where resources are stretched to the thinnest. Read More Irish Examiner view: Free bets escalate gambling problems
