Beacon Hill's big stick
The proposal legislators tacked onto a supplemental budget they plan to vote on this afternoon would give bar advocates a $20 per hour raise over two years. That's less than the $35 per hour single-year increase they lobbied for.
At that rate, it's not a guarantee that the bar advocates who stopped taking new clients will come back to work. But lawmakers added a workaround. In addition to bumping up bar advocates' hourly rates, the supplemental spending plan calls for $40 million to go to the Committee for Public Counsel Services to hire more public defenders, who also represent indigent defendants.
Another provision would require bar advocates to sign biannual contracts with the Committee for Public Counsel Services and would help prevent future work stoppages by considering those like the one many attorneys began in late May a violation of antitrust law.
It's essentially a take-it-or-leave-it deal, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz acknowledged, calling the raise 'significant, sufficient,' and 'much higher' than anyone else on state payroll amid a budget crunch.
Senate President Karen Spilka pushed back on the idea that the changes amounted to 'punishment' of bar advocates, whose tactics legislative leaders openly chafed at.
'It's not punishment. It's reality,' Spilka told reporters. 'We're trying to just balance this out again, a little bit more so that CPCS will have more attorneys.'
The question remains whether or not enough attorneys will return to work quickly enough to keep the courts from being forced to release more defendants.
GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and state and local officials announce tax credits for housing development at 10 a.m. in Winchester. Healey and Driscoll make a job and innovation announcement at noon at the State House and speak at the opening ceremony at the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament at 5:30 p.m. in New Bedford. Rep. Jim McGovern joins MASSCAP and the Worcester Community Action Council for a press conference about prospective cuts to energy aid at 2 p.m. in Worcester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a press conference promoting upcoming liquor license opportunities at 10:30 a.m. in Chinatown.
MORNING MONEY: CAPITAL RISK — POLITICO's flagship financial newsletter has a new Friday edition built for the economic era we're living in: one shaped by political volatility, disruption and a wave of policy decisions with sector-wide consequences. Each week, Morning Money: Capital Risk brings sharp reporting and analysis on how political risk is moving markets and how investors are adapting. Want to know how health care regulation, tariffs, or court rulings could ripple through the economy? Start here.
YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Boston Ward 15 Democratic Committee has endorsed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection. Eleven of the city's Democratic Ward Committees that are now backing the incumbent mayor (wards 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 18, 19, 21 and 22).
— Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald is endorsing Will Onuoha in the crowded at-large race.
— Markey's East & West Support United with Backing from McGovern by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: 'Senator Ed Markey has already received support for his reelection from the commonwealth's east and west. That support is now meeting in its (geographic) center. In a video, Worcester Congressman James McGovern, who also represents much of Franklin and Hampshire counties, announced his support for Markey adding 'there is no better fighter in the Senate.'
— Josh Kraft accuses Boston Mayor Wu of hiding White Stadium taxpayer cost until after election by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft seized on Mayor Michelle Wu's latest delay in releasing final taxpayer costs of her administration's public-private rehab of White Stadium as evidence she's hiding that figure until after the election. Kraft said Wednesday that Wu's latest remarks on the radio this week, when she pushed back the timeline for releasing a final budget for the project from this summer to 'later this calendar year' after 'all construction bids are finalized,' are indicative of what he sees as the mayor's lack of transparency around how taxpayer dollars are being spent on the pro soccer stadium rehab.'
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Senate poised to approve school cellphone ban by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'The state Senate is poised to approve a statewide ban on the use of cellphones and other electronic gadgets in public schools in response to rising concerns about classroom distractions and teen mental health issues. The legislation, teed up for a Thursday vote, would require the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidance to school districts on how to implement a 'bell-to-bell' ban. Those bans would be required to be approved before the 2026-27 school year.'
— Despite widespread support, 'menstrual equity' bill has stalled for two sessions in the House by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon: 'Two years ago, Senate President Karen Spilka called it a 'simple' proposition to make menstrual products available in public spaces like schools, prisons, and homeless shelters. At a 2023 hearing on a bill that would do that, Sen. Julian Cyr, the vice chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, called it 'absurd that menstrual products aren't readily available in every and all public locations.' But getting a 'menstrual equity' bill across the finish line has been anything but simple.'
FROM THE HUB
— Boston City Hall staffer embroiled in alleged North End shoe fight by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'A Boston City Hall employee allegedly struck a woman in the face repeatedly with her high-heel shoe, as part of an attack that also reportedly involved the Wu administration official's father and two of her sisters last Friday in the North End. Ciara D'Amico, the city's deputy director of neighborhoods, allegedly joined an attack that began with her father, John D'Amico, punching a woman in the face multiple times, and continued with three of his daughters jumping into the fray, according to a Boston Police report obtained by the Herald. No arrests have been made in the incident, the Herald has learned.'
— Boston doesn't have an employee dating policy, but neither do many other cities by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News.
MIGRANT MOVES
— The vast majority of men in ICE custody in Mass. are classified as 'no threat' by Simón Rios, WBUR: 'About 85% of federal detainees held in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement custody at the Plymouth County detention center this year have been classified as 'no ICE threat' by the agency, according to federal data analyzed by WBUR. The numbers call into question an oft-repeated talking point for President Trump, that immigration agents are pursuing 'dangerous criminals' and 'the worst of the worst.''
— Old Orchard Beach police say DHS 'shifting blame' to them in ICE arrest of summer officer from Jamaica by Nick Stoico, The Boston Globe: 'Officials in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, issued a forceful defense of their hiring practices Wednesday in response to claims by federal authorities that the town failed to verify the work authorization of a seasonal police officer who was arrested by immigration agents last week. The town's police chief, Elise Chard, said recent public remarks Homeland Security officials criticizing her department 'appears to be an attempt to shift the blame onto a hard-working local law enforcement agency that has done its job.''
FROM THE 413
— Massive health rate hike to hit local towns this fall by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'All 73 members of the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust will see health insurance rates increase by an additional 20% on Oct. 1, ensuring that the trust remains intact, even in the face of significant medical and pharmaceutical claims and the growing popularity of weight-loss drugs.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Most districts in Worcester County see declines in enrollment by Jesse Collings, Telegram & Gazette: 'Over the last decade, Wachusett Regional School District has lost nearly 800 students. That decline, which is mirrored by districts across the county, has put an enhanced strain on school officials trying to keep a balanced budget without cutting any key programming or staff.'
— Lawrence pays $40K to settle suit alleging 'dirty politics' by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune: 'The city reached a $40,000 settlement with Scott Wood of Haverhill who wanted to transfer to the Lawrence Police Department but the mayor terminated him before he could start. Wood, who was described in court papers as a 'tenured Haverhill police officer,' sued the city, filing a civil lawsuit in Essex Superior Court, and appealed to the Civil Service Commission. The lawsuit cited, in part, 'dirty politics and unethical and false accusations' after Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena notified him of his termination.'
MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND
LOCAL ANGLE — North Adams native Eric Hyers has signed on to assist expected Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes' campaign team, The Public's Radio's Ian Donnis reports.
— Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore federal research funding by Alexa Gagosz, The Boston Globe: 'Brown University has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore the university's federal research funding and address allegations that it failed to do enough to stop the harassment of Jewish students, according to a copy of the agreement viewed by the Globe. In exchange for the restoration of nearly $50 million in research grants, Brown will pledge $50 million over the next 10 years to state workforce development organizations in Rhode Island. The deal, which was finalized Wednesday, settles three open investigations into the university, and does not require the Ivy League institution to admit any wrongdoing or make a payment to the federal government.'
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Miriam Ortiz is the new chief impact officer with the Eastern Bank Foundation.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Gabe Adams-Keane, chief of staff for state Sen. John Velis; former Gov. Bill Weld, who turns 80; former Gov. Deval Patrick, who turns 69; former Boston state Rep. Nika Elugardo, former Westfield Mayor Donald Humason Jr., Dan Kimmel, author Dave Wedge, Amy Inglis and Robert C. Merton.
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The Hill
36 minutes ago
- The Hill
Senators pitch $1.5 trillion investment fund for Social Security: What to know
A bipartisan duo in the Senate has been garnering attention for a pitch aimed at shoring up the solvency of Social Security. The idea, pushed by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), calls for investing $1.5 trillion over the next five years into an investment fund that would then be given 70 years to grow. 'It is something to save Social Security and to save the benefits flowing to the people, frankly, will either already depend on them or will depend upon them going forward,' Cassidy told The Hill last month. Here's what lawmakers – and some experts – have said so far. How it works While the senators have yet to release text for the plan, Cassidy said the government would create an investment fund separate from the existing Social Security trust funds, into which the government would place $300 billion annually over the next five years. That money would be invested into stocks, bonds and other investments, and Cassidy said it would be held 'in escrow for 70 years.' 'Any dividends being paid, for example, flow back into the investment fund. As that occurs, we also repeal the law requiring that benefits be cut to match income,' Cassidy told The Hill. The Treasury Department would be responsible for making up the payments for those 75 years, at which point the fund would pay back the Treasury Department and use its remaining funds to supplement Social Security payments, according to the senators. Cassidy argued the plan would not add to the national debt, which currently stands at well over $30 trillion. 'The reason is that if you have money in an escrow account, you could always just empty the escrow account and pay off the Treasuries required to do the initial funding,' he said. 'And so, even though we're borrowing that money, it does not increase our nation's indebtedness and the investment income will exceed the interest that accumulates on the money borrowed.' Cassidy estimated the plan could 'generate at least 70 percent of the borrowing required to pay the benefits over the next seven decades.' What are the next steps? The senators have said they're still collecting input on their plan, but the pitch is similar to a previous effort headed up by Cassidy that involved a coalition of senators from both sides of the aisle. 'In a previous Congress, we had seven Republicans and seven Democrats. We're putting that coalition back together,' Cassidy said. As the senators continue to 'socialize' the idea, Cassidy said there's more than a handful of Republicans that have said 'they will openly support or they look forward to supporting, but they just plan to learn a little bit more.' 'We really felt like we have to socialize the idea more before we get down to legislative draftsmanship,' Kaine also said of the idea, noting they've been hearing feedback from some experts. 'I think that if I had to summarize feedback, it would be this can be a really important part of our solution,' Kaine told The Hill. 'It probably is not the entire solution, which we know.' Kaine said turning around a projected shortfall for the program in the next decade will likely 'take a bunch of different things,' but said the plan 'can be a really important ingredient that nobody was really thinking about.' 'And then that makes the path towards solvency a little bit easier,' he added, suggesting the 'novel' idea being explored by him and Cassidy could mean Congress doesn't have to look to more 'painful' options to extend the lifetime of the program. The criticisms While the senators have drawn support over the bipartisan effort and for bringing more attention to the subject, some experts have raised questions over the pitch. In a collection of some reactions from retirement experts published by the Briefing Book last month, voices from prominent think-tanks American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Brookings Institution weighed in on the plan. 'Senators Bill Cassidy and Tim Kaine deserve praise for drawing public attention to Social Security's funding shortfall,' Sita Nataraj Slavov, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) who focuses on public finance and the economics of aging, said as part of the piece. 'Unfortunately, their proposal does not improve the program's finances because it avoids imposing the tax increases or benefit reductions that are necessary to keep it solvent.' Gopi Shah Goda, director of the Retirement Security Project and a senior fellow at Brookings, also said in the piece that borrowing funds as suggested in the senators' plan 'would likely raise interest rates and slow growth, and avoids the difficult but important work of modernizing the program so that it can continue to provide important protection to seniors in a sustainable manner.' In an interview on Tuesday, Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the AEI focused on Social Security reform, compared the idea to a 'pension obligation fund' seen in some states. 'The only thing that has to happen for this to lose money is for stocks to earn a lower return than bonds,' he said. 'States that have tried these pension obligation bonds, some of them come out ahead. Some have lost money,' he said. 'It's a risky proposition. Social Security's go-broke date In their annual report released in June, a board of trustees of the program's accounts found that the combined trust funds for Social Security are projected to run out in 2034. The report projected that the program's Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) fund would be able to cover '100 percent of total scheduled benefits until 2033,' while the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund is estimated to be able to pay '100 percent of total scheduled benefits through at least 2099.' But when the projections are combined, the resulting fund is estimated to only be able to cover '100 percent of total scheduled benefits until 2034, one year earlier than reported last year. The report cited last year's passage of legislation repealing two key tax rules as a key factor behind the timeline shift, projecting the law would lead to increased benefit levels for some workers. However, that timeline could get even tighter after the recent passage of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' The Trump administration's chief actuary for the program released an estimate this week projecting the trust funds will begin to see lower levels of tax revenue of Social Security benefits starting this year. With the recent tax changes, the Office of the Chief Actuary at the Social Security Administration projected depletion of the combined OASI and DI trust funds will accelerate from 'the third quarter of 2034' under the recent board of trustees' report baseline to 'the first quarter of 2034 following implementation of the law.' What are the chances of Social Security action this Congress? While there's support on both sides of the aisle for ways to shore up solvency for the program, changes to the program or how it's funded is a heavy lift in Congress. Cassidy, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said he's spoken to the chairman about a potential hearing on the legislation. Others are hopeful of further action on Social Security. 'We all want to do something about it before the deadline,' Sen. Angus King (I-Vt.) said when asked about the plan, but added it 'would be ahistorical' to see action to help shore up solvency for the program in this Congress. 'The last time, when Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan fixed it, my understanding is they were about six months from insolvency. So, maybe we are going to have to wait that long, but I hope not,' King said, noting 'the longer we wait, the harder it is to fix.' 'I'm hoping that we can. As I say, there are a number of different discussions going on,' said King, who previously headed up the bipartisan effort with Cassidy in 2023. While King said he is 'not involved at this point,' he added that he is 'listening and there are several groups that are talking about Social Security.' 'Everything is difficult in every Congress, it seems especially difficult these days. And the closer we get to an election, the less results I think we get,' Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) also said last week. 'But there is a certain demand for efforts to make sure that Social Security is solvent today and in the future.' 'But they will be hard to come by,' he added.
The Hill
36 minutes ago
- The Hill
5 takeaways on Trump's threat to federalize DC
President Trump is threatening to federalize the District of Columbia — and the catalyst is an unusual one. In the early hours of Sunday, a young man was allegedly beaten in an attempted carjacking in the nation's capital. The man in question is Edward Coristine, who had a burst of fame earlier this year owing to the combination of his role in Elon Musk's quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his nickname: 'Big Balls.' Trump on Tuesday afternoon posted a message on social media that included a photo of a bloodied Coristine and the president's sentiments that crime in Washington was 'totally out of control.' Although Trump neither named Coristine nor made any reference to his DOGE role, he added that 'if D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run.' Asked at a White House event with Apple's Tim Cook on Wednesday afternoon about overturning home rule for D.C., Trump replied, 'We're going to look at that. In fact, the lawyers are already studying it.' Those remarks mark a new phase in Trump's tumultuous relationship with the city. Here are the main takeaways. What can Trump do? Trump would struggle to fully federalize D.C. because doing so would require a repeal of the law that gives Washington its current measure of self-government — the Home Rule Act of 1973. Repeal would need the approval of the House and the Senate. Trump might well be able to get such a measure through the lower chamber, but he would struggle mightily to overcome Democratic resistance in the Senate. Trump would need a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes, and there are only 53 Republicans. However, as The Washington Post and others have noted, a president does have other powers that can be used at his discretion. One enables Trump to take control of the district's police — the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) — on a temporary basis. Asked about that on Wednesday afternoon, Trump replied, 'We're considering it, yeah.' He could also call out the National Guard, which he also suggested Wednesday afternoon was under consideration. In full states, that power rests with the governor — though of course that did not prevent Trump from calling out the National Guard in California in June, despite the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Trump also has all kinds of other leverage to get what he wants in D.C., owing to how closely the city's fortunes are tied to the federal government. But full federalization seems a big stretch. Violent crime is in decline in Washington Trump's claim that violent crime is 'out of control' is a subjective judgment. But if his intent was to suggest that such crime is rising, that's incorrect. The latest figures from the MPD show violent crime overall as having declined 26 percent relative to this time last year. Declines are seen across every category: Robberies are down 29 percent; assaults with a deadly weapon are down 20 percent; and sex abuse, the category that includes rape, is down 48 percent. Murders are down 12 percent. Those figures are all the more impressive because the crime figures last year were markedly down from the year before. Homicides fell 32 percent in 2024 as a whole relative to 2023. The 2024 figures were heralded by the Department of Justice in early January — when former President Biden was still in the White House — as representing the lowest level of violent crime in the district 'in over 30 years.' A delicate balancing act for the D.C. mayor District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) was a Trump foe in his first term. Her stance was most clearly on display in 2020 when she greenlighted the renaming of a street within view of the White House as 'Black Lives Matter Plaza,' following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But Bowser has been more conciliatory this time around, as seen when she praised the efforts of a task force that was set up by Trump in a March executive order. Much of her changed tone is to do with economics. During last year's election campaign, Trump pledged to move up to 100,000 federal jobs out of the D.C. region, which would be fiscally disastrous for the city. His cuts to agencies are already having an effect. Bowser's position is also a reflection of how much sway the Republican-controlled Congress has over the district. The D.C. budget got a $1.1 billion hole blown in it in March, when a federal government funding bill forced a return to 2024 budget levels. Trump's words this week call Bowser's strategy into question. Her relatively mild approach to Trump in his second term also holds its own political dangers in a fiercely Democratic city. Former Vice President Kamala Harris received almost 93 percent of the vote in the district last November. D.C. has long been a GOP target Trump has lashed out at Washington plenty of times before — and not only in terms of supposedly 'draining the swamp.' In 2023, he complained about driving through the city and seeing 'the filth and the decay, and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti.' During the same period he also judged the district to be a 'filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation.' This time around, Trump has allies who want to push the antagonism toward the district even further. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) earlier this year introduced legislation aimed at repealing the Home Rule Act. But clashes between Republicans and the district are nothing new. For a start, the long-running campaign for full statehood is adamantly opposed by the GOP because its success would in effect guarantee two extra Democratic senators. Back in the days of D.C.'s most controversial mayor, the late Marion Barry (D), a GOP-led Congress took back much of the control over the district's finances, hamstringing Barry in his fourth and final term. Separate from partisan politics per se, the history of D.C.'s relationship with the federal government is deeply intertwined with race and racism. The city had a measure of self-government in the early 19th century — until the right to vote was extended to include Black men, whereupon Congress seized control within a few years. Between then and the 1970s, presidential appointees ran the city — an increasingly untenable paternalism in a city that was then majority-Black. Black Washingtonians are no longer an outright majority, but they continue to represent a plurality of the district's population. A strange coincidence The fact that the precipitating incident for Trump's latest volleys at the district revolves around Coristine is a curious coincidence. It also provided some opportunity for mischief for headline writers. 'Trump threatens D.C. takeover to avenge 'Big Balls'' was New York Magazine's framing of the story. There is no doubt that an incident occurred. Two people, both aged 15, have been charged with unarmed carjacking in the matter. There is also no evidence that the incident had anything to do with Coristine's role in the government or his position with DOGE, which has come under tremendous criticism in Washington, D.C. If any other 19-year-old had been the target of an alleged carjacking in the Capitol city, however, it is unclear that it would have received the attention of this incident.
The Hill
36 minutes ago
- The Hill
US Chamber takes lead in selling Trump, GOP ‘big, beautiful bill' after Medicaid fight
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is taking the lead in helping congressional Republican sell President Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to a skeptical public after this year's bruising battle over deep Medicaid cuts tarnished the public image of President Trump's signature legislative accomplishment. The U.S. Chamber, one of the nation's pre-eminent business groups, plans to hold 100 round-table discussions about the trillions of dollars in assorted tax cuts and tax incentives in the law, which Republicans hope will spur economic growth for years to come. Republican strategists want to avoid the mistakes made during Trump's first term, when strategists now believe they didn't do enough to sell Trump's landmark 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act before the 2018 midterm election. The GOP paid the political price during Trump's first midterms when Democrats picked up 41 House seats and captured control of the lower chamber. Some early polling shows that Americans have a largely negative view of the law after Democrats spent months highlighting cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), cuts that led some Republicans such as Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to vote against it. Tillis, after announcing his opposition to the bill, decided not to run for a third Senate term and Collins faces a tough re-election race next year. A KFF Health Tracking Poll of 1,283 U.S. adults conducted last month found that 46 percent of the public thinks the new law will generally hurt their families while only 26 percent think it will generally help. And 63 percent of people polled have an unfavorable view of the law while 36 percent have a favorable view. Tim Monahan, vice president and managing director of government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says a 'lesson learned' after 2017 is that Republicans need to continue talking about the benefits of tax cuts after they've been enacted — a goal that was not fully accomplished after Trump's first tax package passed eight years ago. 'One of the most comprehensive tax reform bills in the history of our country got done and people kind of stopped talking about it,' he told The Hill in an interview. This year, the U.S. Chamber is making sure that senators and House members are fully armed with data to explain to their constituents at town hall meetings and other venues the tax benefits of the bill and how it could help their local businesses and communities directly. 'We had that top-of-mind going into this whole debate and we produced and continue to update all types of economic and industry data specific to congressional districts and, on the Senate side, on the state level,' Monahan said. 'We thought it would be helpful to take some of these conversations outside of D.C.' The group has partnered with state and local chambers of commerce to convene lawmakers and local business owners around the country to talk about popular but overlooked provisions of the law. The Chamber has already held more than 40 roundtable discussions about the bill's benefits with members of the Senate and House, and plans to hold a total of 100 such events. 'Those have proven to be very effective and well-received,' he said. 'This bill, we believe, at this point is largely undefined, which presents an opportunity for us to help define how this is perceived. A lot of people are talking about the Medicaid aspects. There's a lot more than just that in this bill,' he said. The U.S. Chamber and the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce hosted Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) on Monday for a roundtable discussion in Omaha. Ricketts in a statement noted that passage of Trump's tax bill allowed the average Nebraska family to avoid a potential tax hike of $2,443. Todd Bingham, the president and CEO of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce said provisions in the bill restoring full research and development expensing and 100-percent bonus depreciation would send a clear signal to businesses in the state to ramp up investments. These meetings have highlighted other elements include as the enhancement to the employer-provided childcare tax credit, higher limits for Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, and tax-preferred 'Trump accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028, to which the government will provide a $1,000 credit. 'Permanency on the tax side provides predictability for businesses,' said Monahan, of the U.S. Chamber. 'The 100-percent bonus depreciation for new capital investments, increased interest deductibility limits, immediate [research and development] expensing — in some cases retroactive going a couple years back — and then some of the benefits for child care. Those are some of the key things we're talking about.' The Chamber hosted a roundtable with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who announced plans Wednesday to run for governor, in April. It has also held events with Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.); Mike Collins (R-Ga.), who will run for Sen. Jon Ossoff's (D-Ga.) seat next year; Vince Fong (R-Calif.); Young Kim (R-Calif.); Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.), to name a few other participants. Several of the Republicans on that list face potentially tough re-election races next year. Republicans are hoping the economic boost provided by Trump's tax cuts will help offset the headwinds created by the president's global trade war, which has already begun to bite into earnings at major companies such as Ford Motor, UPS, Whirlpool and Caterpillar. The purpose of the discussions with Republican lawmakers over the August recess is to counter the Democratic attacks framing the law as a tax windfall for billionaires at the expense of middle- and lower-class Americans who will see their healthcare costs rise because of the failure to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and provisions to cut nearly $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending. Democrats and their union-affiliated allies say they will use the August recess to highlight the cuts to Medicaid and the looming expiration of the Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies in states and congressional districts around the country. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley held a town hall meeting in Tucson Tuesday to highlight what they say will be the negative impacts of Trump's bill. Kelly and O'Malley, a former Biden administration official, say that the Republican-passed laws will throw more than 300,000 Arizonans off their health insurance, increase the cost of care and undermine the future solvency of Social Security and Medicare. The U.S. Chamber sought to counter that messaging earlier this year by holding a roundtable discussion with Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Az.) and Susanne P. Clark, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Southern Arizona.
