Latest news with #GOPbill
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Democratic leader Jeffries heads to Speaker Johnson's home state to decry cuts in Trump's tax law
NEW ORLEANS — The top Democrat in the U.S. House is holding a town hall Thursday in Louisiana, home to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his deputy, to rally against the health care cuts in the GOP bill that President Donald Trump signed into law. Led by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Democrats are taking their case about Trump's signature second-term domestic policy priorities directly to the people with the event in Democratic-heavy New Orleans, outside the districts represented by Johnson in northwestern Louisiana and Majority Leader Steve Scalise in the city's suburbs and elsewhere.
Associated Press
10-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Democratic leader Jeffries heads to Speaker Johnson's home state to decry cuts in Trump's tax law
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The top Democrat in the U.S. House is holding a town hall Thursday in Louisiana, home to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his deputy, to rally against the health care cuts in the GOP bill that President Donald Trump signed into law. Led by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Democrats are taking their case about Trump's signature second-term domestic policy priorities directly to the people with the event in Democratic-heavy New Orleans, outside the districts represented by Johnson in northwestern Louisiana and Majority Leader Steve Scalise in the city's suburbs and elsewhere. Jeffries had said during a nearly nine-hour speech in the House before a final congressional vote last week that restrictions on health care and access to food aid in the tax breaks and spending cuts package were 'immoral.' He pledged that Democrats would 'stand up and push back against it with everything we have,' though the minority party was unable to prevent passage. Democratic leaders believe the new law will sway voters before the 2026 midterms elections, when Democrats look to win control of the House and break the hold that Trump and the GOP have on Washington. The measure includes about $4.5 trillion in tax breaks by extending cuts made during Trump's first term, mostly benefiting the wealthiest Americans, and adding new ones including no taxes on tips. It also slashes clean energy tax credits and unleashes hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's national security agenda, including for border patrol and deportations. The Republican leaders who stood with Trump at the White House as he signed the bill into law July 4 insist the measure will boost the U.S. economy, strengthen U.S. borders and ensure millions won't see a tax increase. 'With one big beautiful bill we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before,' Johnson said. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million adults and children are at risk of losing their health insurance by the Republican law, which over time will make it harder to enroll in federal health care programs, including Medicaid and others created by President Barack Obama'sAffordable Care Act. Additionally, it estimated 3 million Americans will no longer qualify for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits. The legislation reduces federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion. Louisiana is among states expected to lose one-fifth of its Medicaid budget over the next decade as a result. An estimated 1.5 million people in Louisiana are enrolled in the health care program, and the policies could increase the uninsured population by more than 200,000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In Johnson's own district, some 38% of the residents are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Most of the health care changes, including the new Medicaid work requirements on certain adults, will not begin until after the 2026 midterm elections, though a number of providers are already beginning to prepare for potential cutbacks. In the town hall, Jeffries and other House Democrats will seek to hammer home the bill's impact on Louisianans represented by Johnson and Scalise. The offices of Johnson and Scalise did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The evening event, hosted by Democratic Rep. Troy Carter, who represents the much of the city, is set to include co-chairs of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and 'Louisianans impacted by Medicaid cuts,' according to a press release from Carter's office. 'Following the passage of the #BigUGLYBill, this conversation is more critical than ever,' Carter wrote in a post on Instagram. ___ Associated Press Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zinke says he's a ‘no' on Senate megabill amid public land sales push
Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke said Thursday he'll vote against the Senate's version of the GOP megabill over a provision that would mandate the sale of up to 1.2 million acres of public lands. Zinke's internal disagreements on the public land sales measure poses yet another complication in negotiations over a bill on which House Republicans can only afford to lose three votes. 'I agree with my colleagues that the federal government has mismanaged federal lands for decades. But I don't agree with their solution,' said Zinke, who was Interior Secretary during Trump's first term, in a post on the social platform X. 'The solution is not to sell public lands,' he added. 'I remain a no on the senate reconciliation bill.' In a separate interview with CNN that Zinke also posted on social media Thursday, he pushed back on land sale supporters' argument that the land can be used for affordable housing. 'Affordable housing is tens of acres, not millions of acres,' he said. He's not the only GOP lawmaker to come out against the provision. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) issued a statement dissing the bill on Wednesday. 'I do support and encourage sale or exchange of parcels of federal land when there is a clear economic or social demand for such disposition, and when that disposition follows appropriate procedure and is generally supported by those affected,' he said in the statement. 'I do not support a mandated disposition of millions of acres of federal land, the amount of which was arbitrarily established, the primary goal not being to respond to demand, but instead being the removal of land from federal ownership,' he added. It's not clear whether he'd also vote against the bill over the disagreements. An original proposal — from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) — would have required the sales of between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of land owned by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). After that proposal was rejected by the Senate parliamentarian, Lee drafted a new version that would require the sale of up to 1.2 million acres of BLM land. It's not entirely clear if the parliamentarian will approve the new version. Lee has said he wants to sell the acres in order to 'expand housing, support local development and get Washington, D.C., out of the way of communities that are just trying to grow.' The intraparty discord on the matter adds further complications to already difficult internal negotiations over Medicaid cuts, federal tax deductions in areas with high local taxes and the phaseout of incentives for low-carbon energy. Meanwhile, the White House insists it would like to see a deal reached by next Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
GOP tax bill could make EVs more expensive, hit auto sector
A Republican-backed tax and spending bill passed by the on Thursday aims to roll back federal clean energy incentives - a move critics warn could raise costs for consumers and derail investments in Georgia's burgeoning electric vehicle and battery industry. The GOPbill, backed by President DonaldTrump, targets provisions in then-President Joe Biden's signature climate and health bill, known as the Inflation ReductionAct. These include the $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers of EVs largely manufactured in North America,production tax credits formanufacturers of EVs and batteries, and funding for EV charging stations. The bill, which will now be debated in the Senate and could undergo changes, also includesa new annual fee for electric vehicle and truck owners that would make buying and owning an electric vehicle more expensive. Georgia is among states that led in the number of jobs created - and expected to come - in clean energy since the Inflation Reduction Act passedin 2022,according to researchers at the Rhodium Group, an independent research provider that combines policy expertise and data-driven analysis to help decision-makers navigate global challenges. The manufacturing tax credits and incentives for buyers have spurred U.S. investment, with Georgia being one of the epicenters with about 38,000 created and promised jobs. Kia committed more than $200 million and the creation of more than 200 jobs at its West Point plant to accommodate assembly of the company's EV9 SUV. Meanwhile, Hyundai's Metaplantnear Savannah, which is producing the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 models, is a more than $7 billion investment the company has promised will eventually employ 8,500 people. EV upstart Rivian plans to build a manufacturing site nearSocial Circle, east of Atlanta. Some industryleadersand observers, however, are warning the policy shift could slow project rollout. Albert Gore III, executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, which represents many EV and battery manufacturers, said companies may "reassess the scale and the pace of their investments in the United States." U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., called the tax and spending bill "a win for China's economy and a loss for Georgia workers." China is a top EV manufacturing nation and the country, like many advanced economies, is adopting electric vehicles at a far faster pace than the U.S. "Georgia has been a national leader in creating clean energy jobs, particularly with new battery and electric vehicle supply chains coming to our state's rural communities," Warnock said in a statement, calling the legislation "a non-starter for me in the Senate." Fully electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, reducing harmful exhaust that pollutes the air and contributes planet-warming carbon to the atmosphere. The IRA took an existing U.S. EV tax credit and narrowed criteria to qualify to vehicles that are predominantly made inNorth America to encourage reshoring of jobs and investment. Biden had campaigned in 2020 on expanding EV adoption in the U.S. But Hyundai Chief Executive Officer Joseph Muñoz previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that "(c)onsumer preferences - not politics or government politics - dictate Hyundai's business decisions." The automaker has said it decided to build an EV factory in the U.S. during Trump's first term, and announced it would build the facility in Georgia shortly before passage of the IRAin 2022. Because of new criteria in the IRA, EVs made by Hyundai and other automakers lost eligibility. Vehicles it makes in the U.S. now get at least partial credit. Hyundai has never invested in the U.S. based on incentives, Muñoz said previously, instead focusing on the market opportunity. Hyundai and Kia representatives were not immediatelyavailable for interviews. Gov. Brian Kemp's office also emphasized the "market-based approach" Georgia takes on economic development. A spokesperson told the AJC that thanks to the state's efforts, "the e-mobility space was already growing in Georgia before the federal government's intervention." Kemp "vocally opposed the Biden administration's decision to not only pick winners and losers but also to impose counterproductive mandates that disadvantaged Georgia-based auto manufacturers and disincentivized organic consumer adoption of electric vehicle," the spokesperson added. Subsidy repeals could deter consumer demand for electric vehicles, Cox Automotive Director of Industry Insights Stephanie Valadez Streaty said. Cox Automotive, like the AJC, is owned by Cox Enterprises. Cox Enterprises also has about a 3% stake in Rivian. EVs made up about 7.5% of total U.S. new vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025, per data from Cox Automotive, and the figure is growing, though not as fast as many industry observers expected. That's in part because of fears over range and charging away from home and because of persistently high interest rates for vehicleloans. EVs also generally have higher sticker prices. In the short term, Streaty said, sales might grow as consumers look to buy electric vehicles before incentives go away. But in the long term, she said, there might be negative consequences because of price premiums on EVs. A survey of dealers conducted by Cox Automotive in the second quarter of 2025 revealed that "a majority of auto dealers feel the tax credits are having a positive effect on the market." One independent dealer commented in the Cox report that consumers appear worried about limited infrastructure for electric vehicles and "fear of plummeting value and inability to repair anything but the simplest of issues," among other things. Kevin Ketels, an associate professor of supply chain management at Wayne State University, said electric vehicles are expensive as is. To keep advancing the industry, he said, there needs to be a wider portfolio of vehicles that include lower cost EVs with fewer features than the expensive models on the market. "If we discontinue the incentives in order to develop and roll out this technology, it's going to happen at a much slower pace, and we're going to fall behind the rest of the world," he said. The U.S. is already lagging behind China in creating EV manufacturing processes and supply chains, he added. Although current incentives largely benefit affluent customers, "if we give more time and there are more government incentives to make this transition, I think it would benefit less affluent customers in that situation," Ketels added. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
