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Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Inside Trump's polling on the "big, beautiful bill"
The White House provided Senate Republicans with the raw numbers on how the different elements of the " one big, beautiful bill" are playing with the public, insisting that many of the proposals are 80-20 issues. Why it matters: The detailed polling amounted to an argument for why senators should pass the bill – and then a roadmap on how to sell it. But it also showed that some proposals are massively more popular than others, indicating that much of the political battle about the bill will be a contest on how to define it. Between the lines: The poll largely focused on topics that Republicans want to discuss, like taxes and immigration. Democrats will focus on the bill's other elements, like its deep cuts to Medicaid. White House deputy chief of staff James Blair presented on the polling, as Punchbowl News first posted on X. ✈️ 🍼 By the numbers: The most popular parts polled at more than 80% approval, according to an image of one of the presentation slides obtained by Axios. Modernizing air traffic control: 82% in favor to 10% opposed Providing a 15% tax cut to working families: 82% - 10% Increasing the child tax credit to $2,500: 81% - 12% Ending taxes on tips polled 77% - 18% Cutting taxes on overtime pay: 74% - 18% 💰🚔 The least popular elements polled at more than 50% support: Making Trump's tax cuts permanent to avoid a 22% tax increase: 53% to 34% opposed Hiring more ICE/border patrol officers: 55% - 40%. Ending federal coverage of gender-affirming care: 54% - 39%. Ending Medicaid benefits for unauthorized immigrants: 52% - 39% Zoom out: Fundraising, and the Republicans challenges in keeping pace with the Democrats, was also discussed in the meeting. Despite the NRSC breaking records, NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) also warned that senators' fundraising — for the committee and their own campaigns — remained behind Democrats, according to sources familiar with what was said. He pointed out how GOP committees are being out-raised by their Democratic counterparts at the House, Senate and national level. "We've always been behind the Democrats," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told us, adding, "if you look at the numbers, Tim has been doing a great job."
The Hill
21-03-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Market volatility ‘will settle out … as we get into April': Trump aide
White House deputy chief of staff James Blair in a podcast on Friday said market volatility 'will settle out a little bit' in April, once the markets are able to 'absorb and price in' the recent tariffs. 'I think things will settle down as some of the tariff stuff comes into clearer focus for the markets to be able to absorb and price in, then the volatility… will settle down a little bit,' he said on POLITICO's ' Deep Dive ' podcast Friday. When host Rachael Bade asked Blair if he could guarantee to the business community that there would be some predictably going forward, he said President Trump is a businessman who understands how business planning works. 'We have only been here eight weeks but the president does want to provide predictability to the markets, to businesses, so that they can do their business planning in a way that they can count on,' he added. Tariffs imposed by Trump have contributed to gyrations in the market and uncertainty with the economy. More tariffs are expected on April 2, when Trump has promised to impose reciprocal tariffs on foreign imports meant to match penalties other countries impose on U.S. exports. The Trump aide predicted that 'we will get to a place very soon' where businesses would feel 'pretty comfortable with how to plan.' He further noted that tax cuts are expiring at the end of the year unless they are renewed, which adds an element of uncertainty to the economic situation. 'It's really just stopping the bleeding and sort of stabilizing [the] process that's leading to some volatility,' he added. 'I am not an economist, but I think that will settle down pretty soon.' Last week, Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent expressed similar views about the economic situation, saying he is 'not worried about the markets' following a rough week for the stock market. 'I can tell you that corrections are healthy, they're normal,' Bessent told NBC's Kristen Welker on 'Meet the Press.' 'What's not healthy is straight up, that you get these euphoric markets. That's how you get a financial crisis.'
