Latest news with #EricBurlison
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump has proved he can work with Congress. He should try it again.
In the past week, as never before, President Donald Trump showed mastery of the legislative process. On Tuesday, when his gargantuan tax bill was stalled, he went to Capitol Hill to deliver a double-barreled message. To the fiscal hawks, he said not to 'f--- around with Medicaid.' To blue-state Republicans, he warned against holding out for further increases in caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. Again and again, to advance his 'big, beautiful' bill, Trump capitalized on his acolytes' love and fear. Opposing the bill would be 'the ultimate betrayal,' the White House warned Wednesday morning, as Trump's political advisers threatened to work for primary challengers against anyone voting no. That afternoon, Trump invited on-the-fence members of the Freedom Caucus to the White House. One of them, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri), said afterward that 'it was amazing to see him in action.' Burlison wound up supporting the bill. So did all but three House Republicans. It passed by one vote on Thursday morning. This does nothing to alter the fact that the legislation, as it stands, would drastically enlarge America's already enormous debt to 129 percent of gross domestic product, and that this would be disastrous for the economy and the dollar. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Trump, when pressed, is able to act via Congress rather than executive order. He should endeavor to choose this path more often. The president is savvier about working the Hill today than he was eight years ago. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) says Trump has been 'much more engaged in directing what happens than the first time because he and the leadership of Congress in 2017 were not seeing eye-to-eye.' Trump made repealing Obamacare his first legislative priority, for example, only because Congress wanted him to. By now, most Trump antagonists have retired from politics and the GOP is more MAGA than ever. But the president is also coordinating better with party leaders. He no longer agrees to requests from rank-and-file members that undermine delicate negotiations with party leaders. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) did the nitty-gritty work of shepherding the tax bill despite having the smallest House majority in nearly a century. He said it was like 'crossing over the Grand Canyon on a piece of dental floss.' After the House Budget Committee blocked the bill last Friday, Johnson worked all weekend to persuade four deficit hawks to change their votes to 'present' so it could advance to the floor Sunday night. In the following days, working in concert with Trump, Johnson continued to hammer out compromises. He revised the bill's work requirements for Medicaid recipients so that they would kick in at the end of 2026 rather than 2029. And he agreed to raise the cap for SALT deductions to $40,000 for people making up to $500,000 a year. (Under current law, the cap is $10,000 for everyone.) The hard, sometimes dirty, work of legislating might not be the easiest way to govern, but it is the most legitimate. Executive orders can be easily rescinded by future presidents or overturned by the courts. Laws are far more likely to endure. And the horse trading that's required to secure majorities ensures that policy reflects the broadest possible array of interests. Because all members of the House must stand for reelection every other year, they are more directly accountable to the people for votes they take than a president is — especially a president who will never again appear on a ballot. Too often, Trump bypasses or otherwise short-circuits the House and Senate, despite his party's majorities. Rather than turn out executive orders and social media posts unilaterally dictating policy, he should more often work toward meaningful legislation. Of course, he still has not pushed his tax bill over the finish line. It next moves to the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) says his members want to leave their 'imprint.' Thune can afford to lose the support of only three GOP senators. Some want deeper cuts in Medicaid, while others demand no cuts at all. Republican senators care little about SALT deductions, because they mainly affect blue states. Ideally, the Senate will improve on the bill by scaling back the tax cuts and identifying additional spending cuts. The House bill is projected to grow the country's $36.2 trillion national debt by more than $2.5 trillion, not counting interest payments. If temporary provisions now set to expire in four years are extended, the cost could rise above $5 trillion. As he voted no, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) called the bill a ticking debt bomb. 'We're not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,' he said on the House floor. 'We're putting coal in the boiler and setting a course for the iceberg.' Massie isn't wrong. At a minimum, the Senate should make the final package less fiscally irresponsible. This is how the legislative process is supposed to work.
The Hill
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Morning Report — A House GOP divided
Editor's note: The Hill's Morning Report is our daily newsletter that dives deep into Washington's agenda. To subscribe, click here or fill out the box below. Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here In today's issue: House lawmakers pressed through marathon committee sessions Wednesday to advance President Trump's legislative agenda, even as Republicans remain deadlocked on key issues including taxes and Medicaid that could delay or thwart passage of the bill by next week. The gripes from conservatives are centered on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's portion of the sprawling package, which beefs up work requirements for Medicaid and imposes more frequent eligibility checks but stops short of more substantial changes — such as siphoning federal funding away from states. The Committee, in a 30-to-24 party-line vote, advanced the health care section of the GOP's sweeping tax bill on Wednesday. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found the panel's work would reduce deficits by more than $880 billion by 2034, exceeding the instructions laid out in the budget resolution. But hard-liners, including Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), are unconvinced by the CBO's 'funny math.' 'In my opinion they don't go far enough,' said Burlison, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who does not support the package. While the bill is estimated to reduce federal spending in line with GOP goals, 8.6 million people would lose insurance based on the CBO's estimate — stoking concerns among members in both chambers. ▪ The Hill: The House Agriculture Committee voted to advance legislation that would make significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). ▪ The New York Times: Almost all of the cuts that Republicans hope to pass in the coming weeks will last only until Trump is set to leave office. ▪ Politico: Perks now, pain later: 12 ways Trump's megabill pushes tradeoffs beyond Election Day. ▪ The Hill: Celsius, compression socks and Cava: How lawmakers survived an all-nighter. Those results are drawing scrutiny and caution from both sides of the GOP's ideological spectrum, posing a difficult balancing act for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). The Speaker aims to bring the full bill for a vote next week, ahead of a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline. While conservatives complain the cuts are too small, moderates are more guarded and appear nervous to back provisions that were not as significant as they could have been but will still leave millions of Americans uninsured. And some lawmakers were caught off guard entirely by Medicaid provisions in their own bill. 'There were some items in there that, it was the first time we were hearing of them,' Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) told Politico. Asked by The Hill on Wednesday if he believes the deficit hawks are changing the rules in the middle of the game, Johnson said their gripes are part of the process. 'No, I don't think the goalposts are being moved,' he said. 'I think everybody's just expressing their preferences for the final product, and again, that's part of the process.' Meanwhile, several Republicans from high-tax blue states have also expressed fury over a $30,000 cap for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, saying it remains far too low. Rep. Mike Lawler (N.Y.), one of the chamber's most vulnerable Republicans running for reelection, is among those pushing for a higher cap. In a social media spat Wednesday, he hit back at comments from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) who urged the GOP to press on over the SALT demands within the party. '[T]he reason you enjoy a gavel is because Republicans like me have won our seats. Good luck being in the Majority if we don't,' Lawler warned. ▪ The Wall Street Journal: Conservative House members are fuming at some of their Republican colleagues whose insistence on a much larger state and local tax deduction is one of the biggest remaining hurdles to the party's giant tax-and-spending bill. ▪ The Hill: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified in Congress on Wednesday to defend the Trump administration's budget request but faced a grilling on his drastic overhaul of the federal health agency. Here are key takeaways. SMART TAKE with NewsNation's BLAKE BURMAN: Will Congress ban itself from stock trading? The push to ban lawmakers from knowingly making trades received a boost Wednesday. 'I'm in favor of that, because I don't think we should have any appearance of impropriety here,' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters. Johnson also made the case that members haven't received a pay increase since 2009, making it even more difficult for them to maintain their livelihoods in two different communities as the cost of living has risen. 'If you stay on this trajectory, you're going to have less qualified people who are willing to make the extreme sacrifice to run for Congress,' Johnson said. At some point, you'd think there'd be a discussion on raising congressional salaries. But in the era of the Department of Government Efficiency, will that happen anytime soon, and is the American public ready for that headline? Burman hosts 'The Hill' weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. 3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY: ▪ Some National Weather Service forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for employees willing to transfer to those offices. Amid DOGE cuts, an estimated 500 National Weather Service employees have been fired or taken early retirements this year. ▪ The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Eric Ueland, a veteran Senate aide and a former White House legislative affairs director for Trump, as the deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget. The vote was 51-45. ▪ Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired two top intelligence officials who oversaw a recent intelligence assessment that contradicted Trump's assertions that the gang Tren de Aragua is operating under the direction of the Venezuelan regime. LEADING THE DAY © Associated Press | J. Scott Applewhite SUPREME COURT: The most controversial and perhaps impactful rulings by the high court are expected within weeks as justices' busy term winds down. The Hill's Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld report how 'decision season' will touch on the role of religion in public life, gender-affirming care and the environment. NBC News and The New York Times: Whether Trump can change automatic citizenship, written into the Constitution as a right for those born in this country regardless of their parents' citizenship, poses broad implications for his agenda. Oral arguments are scheduled today before the Supreme Court. WHO'S WRIT OR WRONG? Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday offered some carefully worded support for suspension of habeas corpus as part of the administration's immigration crackdown (The Hill). Some in the administration believe the government does not have to defend incarcerations of individual migrants because Trump declared a national immigration emergency and he refers to illegal U.S. entry as an 'invasion.' 'I'm not a constitutional lawyer, but I believe it does,' Noem tolda House lawmaker when asked whether the constitutional test has been met to bypass protections under habeas corpus, which means 'you have a body.' The secretary is not a lawyer. STATE WATCH: Six months after Missouri voters approved an abortion-rights amendment, Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday approved a new referendum that would repeal it and instead ban most abortions with exceptions for rape an incest. 2028: Is Democrat Rahm Emanuel beta testing a presidential run? The former House member, top adviser to two presidents, ex-Chicago mayor and most recently the former U.S. ambassador to Japan appeared Wednesday on ABC's 'The View,' noting that with his recent political commentary, he's 'in training. … I don't know if I'll make the Olympics.' WHERE AND WHEN ZOOM IN © Associated Press | Angelina Katsanis TEMPERATURES CLIMB WITH ICE: An altercation last week involving three Democratic lawmakers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a detention center in New Jersey lingers in the news because House members and the administration squared off, each side wielding political megaphones in a bitter clash made for the digital age. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week accused Democratic Garden State Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robert Menendez and LaMonica McIver of 'committing felonies' during a Friday scuffle with law enforcement. Democrats have accused the Homeland Security Department of lying about what happened, and after a department spokesperson suggested House Democrats could be arrested, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) warned Trump administration officials that 'we are going to have a problem' with arrests. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned Republicans and the administration on Tuesday to think twice before sanctioning or arresting three elected House Democrats who said they were inspecting an ICE facility in their state. 'They'll find out,' Jeffries replied when asked how he'd respond if his colleagues were arrested or punished. 'It's a red line, it's very clear,' he told reporters. ▪ CBS News: Seventeen relatives of a notorious Mexican cartel leader entered the U.S. with luggage by crossing the border in an apparent deal with the Trump administration related to ongoing prosecution. ▪ The Hill: Columbia University is trying to appease the Trump administration, with little tangible success so far. While praise came quickly from the White House, funding paused by the federal government was not restarted and members of the Columbia community are denouncing its actions, which include giving into the administration's original funding demands. ▪ The Hill: Trump favors transaction more than confrontation, and two can play at that game. An array of Democratic visitors of late beat a path to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and to the president's Mar-a-Lago estate. 'As odious as Democrats find Trump himself, they still have to navigate the world as it is,' said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. 'Everybody is trying to figure it out in a way that's best for them.' ELSEWHERE © Associated Press | Alexander Nemenov, APF UKRAINE: Officials from both Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Turkey today for ceasefire negotiations, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is not slated to attend. Putin's no-show raised confusion over whether they will even meet. Trump, who briefly floated the idea of attending the talks, looks increasingly unlikely to divert from his planned Gulf State itinerary. The Hill's Laura Kelly and Ellen Mitchell write Ukraine's supporters in Europe and Washington were prepared to call Putin's bluff on peace talks, expecting a proposed summit in Istanbul to fall apart and convince Trump that Moscow is an untrustworthy partner. Meanwhile, the promise of the Istanbul talks derailed European efforts to get the U.S. on board with imposing new sanctions on Russia if there is not an immediate 30-day ceasefire. 'There has been coordination with the Americans on sanctions, and there have been good signals,' a European official told The Washington Post. 'But in the end, it depends on the flavor of the day.' Reuters: What are the outlines and risks of a possible Ukraine peace deal? GULF DEALS: Trump's first trip of his second term through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is raising questions among Republican lawmakers who are second-guessing Trump's decision to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar and wondering about Saudi Arabia entering the U.S. artificial intelligence industry in a major way, given the national security sensitivity of the technology. These latest developments combined with the Trump administration's nuclear negotiations with Iran, which bear some similarities to former President Obama's nuclear deal, is putting pressure on the U.S.-Israel relationship and making some GOP defense hawks on Capitol Hill uneasy. The Trump administration is clearing a path for Saudi Arabia and the UAE to pursue their artificial intelligence ambitions — and some of the biggest U.S. tech companies are seizing on that opening with plans to spend billions of dollars in the region. Under agreements expected to be unveiled in coming days, the key Gulf allies are poised to win wider access to advanced AI chips from Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. that are considered the gold standard for running AI models. ▪ Politico: Dynamics are shifting in the Middle East under a U.S. president who sees the world through a financial lens, putting Arab states at an advantage and Israel at a disadvantage. ▪ CNBC: Boeing inks a record-breaking deal for Qatar Airways to buy up to 210 planes. ▪ The Hill: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about her decision to advise Trump that the Justice Department viewed Qatar's offer of a jet as a 'legally permissible gift,' an assertion disputed by ethics and legal experts. Bondi, as a former lobbyist, represented the government of Qatar. SYRIA: Trump bucked critics in his administration and security hawks in Israel in his decision to lift all sanctions on Syria and embrace its new leader, a U.S.-designated terrorist with ties to al Qaeda and ISIS. Trump's decision is welcome among Syrian American activists, some oil and gas executives, lawmakers, and Gulf and Arab leaders who lobbied the administration to ease sanctions to allow the new Syrian government a chance at survival. ▪ NBC News: Trump shocks and delights Syrians by lifting sanctions after 45 years. Now what? ▪ CNN: Israel targeted Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday. ▪ The New York Times: Trump on Thursday visited Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. ▪ BBC: Trump has said that India has offered to drop all tariffs on goods imported from his country. OPINION ■ Trump belatedly wakes up to Putin's brutality, by Jim Geraghty, senior political correspondent and opinion contributor, The Washington Post. ■ The birthright citizenship case could split the country in two, by Andrea R. Flores, guest essayist, The New York Times. THE CLOSER © Associated Press | LM Otero And finally … ✈️ It's Thursday, which means it's time for this week's Morning Report Quiz! Alert to aviation-focused headlines, we're eager for some smart guesses about busy U.S. airports and those who brave the skies. Be sure to email your responses to asimendinger@ and kkarisch@ — please add 'Quiz' to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday. Which airport is America's busiest, as measured by passenger traffic? Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey recently experienced which of these safety issues affecting operations? The main runway (of three) at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., routinely handles how many daily takeoffs and landings, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority? Which of these former U.S. presidents was a pilot? Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger (asimendinger@ and Kristina Karisch (kkarisch@ Follow us on social platform X: (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Patriot Act repeal bill puts controversial law in the crosshairs: 'Let's end the abuse!'
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced a one-page bill to repeal the controversial Patriot Act, which was passed on the heels of the horrific Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The text of the measure, dubbed the "American Privacy Restoration Act," reads, "The USA PATRIOT Act … is repealed, and each provision of law amended by such Act is amended to read as such provision read on October 25, 2001." "For over two decades, rogue actors within our U.S. intelligence agencies have used the Patriot Act to create the most sophisticated, unaccountable surveillance apparatus in the Western world," Luna said, according to a press release. "My legislation will strip the deep state of these tools and protect every American's fourth amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures. It's past time to rein in our intelligence agencies and restore the right to privacy. Anyone trying to convince you otherwise is using 'security' as an excuse to erode your freedom." In a post on X, Luna thanked Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., for cosponsoring the bill. "Let's end the abuse!" she declared in the post. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has previously pushed bills involving repealing the Patriot Act, pointed out in a post on X last week that just three Republicans voted against passing it in October 2001 — one of them was former Rep. Ron Paul, the father of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. "Abuse of the PATRIOT Act over time revealed they were justified. Imagine the pressure they were under just one month after 9/11. I'm sure they were called every name in the book," Massie wrote.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Take it Down Act' heads to Trump's Desk; Rep. Burlison explains why he voted no
MISSOURI — The 'Take it Down Act' heads to President Donald Trump's desk, after passing the U.S. House by a vote of 409-2. The bill, when signed, would outlaw posting intimate or inappropriate photos of someone without their consent, or as many refer to it as 'revenge porn'. It will also outlaw A.I. 'deepfakes', which is similar to intimate/inappropriate content, but computer-generated. A summary of the bill says, 'Violators are subject to mandatory restitution and criminal penalties, including prison, a fine, or both'. It would also require platforms to remove the content in 48 hours when notified. As mentioned, the U.S. House passed this bill 409-2, a showing of bipartisan support on the issue. Of the two who voted no, one is Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison. Ozarks First reached out to Burlison's team and was given this statement. 'Sharing non-consensual intimate imagery is abhorrent, but this bill unnecessarily federalizes the criminalization of conduct that states already have laws against, and many of them already have laws tailored to address AI-generated deepfakes. As such, creating a new federal offense is both redundant and constitutionally problematic. The further federalization of criminal law in this way undermines state authority, blurs lines of accountability, and risks duplicative prosecutions. Furthermore, while the bill attempts to safeguard free speech with a 'reasonable person' test, I remain concerned about its impact on First Amendment rights and the unchecked growth of federal power.' Ozarks First checked into Missouri's passing laws about this issue on a state level, and at the time of this story being published, found two that are making their way through the legislative process. Missouri House Bill 362 would establish the disclosure of 'intimate digital depictions' in an attempt to harass, annoy, threaten, alarm, or cause harm to the individual depicted, and outlines what a person can seek in terms of civil action if material was posted online without consent. A summary for the bill says it 'Creates the offense of and civil penalties for disclosure of intimate digital depictions', but according to the Missouri House website, it's out of committee but has not made it out of the Missouri House. Missouri Senate Bill 411 is centered around the 'Taylor Swift Act', which 'establishes a cause of action by an individual who is the subject of an intimate digital depiction against a person who discloses such depiction and who knows or recklessly disregards the fact that the individual has not consented to such disclosure. If passed, it would make it a Class E felony for a first offense, and a Class C felony for any offense after. According to the Missouri Senate Website, Missouri Senate Bill 411 was last discussed on March 26, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) Discusses Hiring UFO Whistleblower
If you've ever wondered what's actually flying in our skies, or what the U.S. government knows about it, you might want to watch Rep. Eric Burlison's office. Burlison (R-MO) spoke to NewsNation's Blake Burman on Tuesday, after confirming that he's hiring UFO whistleblower David Grusch, who made international headlines when he testified about an alleged government UFO retrieval program. Burlison, who is a member of the UAP Caucus, believes Grusch could help Congress find more transparency around UFOs.
