House hard-liners threaten to tank megabill procedural vote
Rep. Andy Harris, chair of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, said he was opposed to the Senate-passed version of the GOP megabill and called on Trump to order senators back to town for further negotiations.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), another Freedom Caucus member, said he planned to vote against the 'rule' setting up final floor consideration of the bill and 'start discussions where we can get back into' a fiscal framework hard-liners had negotiated with Speaker Mike Johnson.
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Harris and Johnson spoke on the floor Wednesday as a preliminary vote was held open with more than a dozen GOP members not voting. With full attendance and Democrats uniformly opposed to the megabill, it takes only four GOP defections to tank the effort.
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CNN
3 minutes ago
- CNN
White House tries to assuage industry worries over migrant workers amid aggressive deportation campaign
As the Trump administration has doubled down on its hardline immigration agenda, behind the scenes senior Trump officials and the president himself have grappled with the consequences of that crackdown against a key portion of the workforce: migrant workers. President Donald Trump has wavered repeatedly on the topic: At times he has suggested farms and other industries employing migrants should be protected, even as he and some top aides have pushed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to intensify its immigration sweeps. 'We're working on it right now,' Trump said Tuesday. 'We have a lot of cases where ICE would go into a farm and these are guys that have been there 10 or 15 years, and the farmers know them – it's called farmer responsibility. Or owner responsibility. But they're going to be largely responsible for these people. And they know these people. They've worked at the farms for 15 years.' Senior administration officials have had discussions with stakeholders as they quietly try to find a durable compromise on the fate of migrant workers, floating various new ways of granting them legal status, multiple sources told CNN. But it's unclear what, if any, solution they can reach without Congress, according to experts. 'President Trump is a tireless advocate for American farmers – they keep our families fed and our country prosperous. He trusts farmers and is committed to ensuring they have the workforce needed to remain successful,' said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement, maintaining that deporting 'dangerous criminals and targeting the sanctuary cities that provide them safe harbor is a top priority for the President.' The focus on migrant workers reveals the delicate balance the Trump administration is wrestling with as it tries to carry out a historic number of deportations and avoid agitating key industries or unsettling a fragile economy. Similarly, the president faces headwinds from immigration hardliners who view additional protections for migrant workers as an unnecessary form of relief. The ambiguity in Trump's approach has kept both sides of the debate off balance. CNN reached out to the White House for comment. 'They are working at a breakneck speed to better understand employers' issues with current guest worker visa programs and cut down on paperwork processing delays. Effective reform is a complex undertaking, and initial attempts may not get it entirely right from the start,' said Kip Eideberg, senior vice president of government and industry relations at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, describing the message he's received from the administration. 'The Administration recognizes this and have been clear that they will make adjustments based on feedback from industry to strike the right balance between border security and immigration reform,' he added. Undocumented immigrants account for 4% to 5% of the total US workforce and between 15% to 20% in industries like crop production, food processing, and construction, according to Goldman Sachs, which warned in a recent report that losing a 'significant share' of those workers could result in temporary bottlenecks, shortages, and price increase. Multiple industry representatives have raised alarm over indiscriminate immigration sweeps where undocumented immigrants without criminal records have been picked up for deportation, including in sectors that are critical to the president's broader agenda. 'It will make it damn near impossible to lean into the administration's effort to strengthen manufacturing,' Eideberg said, despite overwhelming support within the industry for that effort. 'We're stuck between a rock and a hard place,' he said, noting that mass deportations will shrink the labor force. One of the primary concerns for customers is that they won't have enough workers to harvest crops, which will likely have a trickle-down effect on equipment manufacturers and reduce demand, according to Eideberg. But tilting toward helping manufacturers and other employers could cause political problems for the president. 'The more he panders to employers of illegal workers, the more he's going to anger his base of voters who expected – and voted for – tough immigration enforcement across the board without exemptions for politically connected people,' said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for limited immigration. Representatives from various industries have taken their worries directly to the administration, including the departments of Labor and Agriculture. In an April Cabinet meeting, Trump appeared to nod to those concerns, telling Homeland Security Kristi Noem after her presentation: 'We're also going to work with farmers that if they have strong recommendations for their farms for certain people, we're going to let them stay in for a while and work with the farmers and then come back and go through a process of – legal process.' He later tasked Noem, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to work on the issue, according to a source familiar with the move. Last month, Chavez-DeRemer established the Office of Immigration Policy to try to streamline industry needs and thread the needle of delivering on Trump's mass deportation promise while helping employers navigate existing programs. 'Under President Trump's leadership, I'm working closely with Secretary Rollins, Secretary Noem, and our federal partners on fulfilling this Administration's mission to cut red tape, support agricultural employers, and ensure they have the legal workforce needed to keep our food supply secure,' Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. According to an agriculture industry source, a similar idea had been discussed in a meeting with Rollins earlier this year that would include setting up a program for farmers to ensure they had enough laborers. It's unclear how that program would be different from existing temporary farm visas known as H-2A. The source said Trump has also raised the idea to Rollins of creating a mechanism that would allow farmers to sign a document or affidavit for undocumented workers, who would self-deport and then be allowed to return legally. But that kind of proposal would draw objections from hardliners. 'It ends up being who's going to win this tug of war,' said Chris Chmielenski, president of the Immigration Accountability Project, which advocates for limited immigration, describing a form of relief for undocumented migrant workers akin to 'amnesty.' 'I have no idea which way it's going to go,' he said. There are 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 40% of whom the Agriculture Department estimates lack legal status. United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero previously told CNN that she's been getting calls from concerned farmworkers across California about ICE crackdowns in the state. Separate from the existing undocumented population, the administration has also made a series of moves to strip temporary protections from migrants who had been given permission to legally work and live in the country – suddenly depriving some employers of workers. 'We might keep losing legal workers from the system,' said Jennie Murray, president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum. 'All of them (industries) are extremely worried. They're worried they don't have future flows of workers coming into the country. They're extremely worried to lose these temporary workers they've become dependent on.' An immigration raid at an Omaha meat production plant on June 10 that resulted in dozens of workers being taken away sparked fresh concerns about the administration's priorities – culminating in a phone call between Rollins and Trump the following day over the issue. Two days later, Trump posted on his Truth Social: 'Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace… This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' Immigration and Customs Enforcement quickly issued guidance to agents limiting immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants. Just a few days later, Trump posted on his Truth Social account telling ICE officials 'to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.' ICE soon announced worksite enforcement would continue. ICE has conducted sweeps at construction sites, popular vacation destinations like Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, as well as local Home Depots, which are a common spot for contractors and homeowners to approach and hire laborers. Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, told CNN in a statement that the organization has also held meetings with administration officials 'to convey our acute workforce shortage challenges and underscore the importance of a strong hospitality and tourism sector.' Trump seemed to shift course again in the last week, saying the administration is working on a temporary pass for migrant workers, particularly those working on farms and in the hospitality industry, arguing he's on 'both sides.' 'I'm the strongest immigration guy that there's ever been, but I'm also the strongest farmer guy that there's ever been,' Trump said in an interview on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures.' The whiplash has been indicative of the two factions within the administration – one focused on the impact on labor, and another intent on arresting and deporting as many people as possible. The latter has been led by White House deputy chief of staff and architect of Trump's hardline immigration policies Stephen Miller. Miller has argued on CNN that the administration's immigration crackdown wouldn't disrupt the agriculture industry and result in higher prices, saying that migrants who recently arrived to the US 'aren't doing farmwork.' Rollins sees the issue differently. 'The labor question is a significant one. It is one that is perhaps not the very top of the list, but for some they would say the very top of the list,' the agriculture secretary told lawmakers at a congressional hearing in mid-June. In a CNBC interview Wednesday, Rollins said Trump's 'goal, that he has tasked me with effectuating, is making sure that we have a 100% legal workforce. That anyone that is here illegally must pay the consequences, return to the country, and then eventually, as he's talked about in different ways, come back. So, we are working on all of that right now.' She cited reforms to temporary worker visas, arguing: 'There will be zero amnesty. We will ensure all laws are followed.' Sources familiar with the dynamic between Rollins and Miller told CNN the relationship between the two is professional and despite the different viewpoints on immigration policy, it hasn't devolved. 'There's a respect between the two, and also a very clear understanding that Trump likes and is deeply reliant on both,' one administration official said. 'This is an area where their equities overlap and are quite different. They both understand that – or at least have up to this point. But POTUS cares deeply about farmers and ranchers and beyond his personal affinity for the Secretary, really values hearing directly from her about what the industry is saying,' the official said. 'And they're freaking out right now – and have been for months.'
Politico
7 minutes ago
- Politico
Power struggle
Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Canada Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Canada Playbook. Let's get into it. In today's edition: → The PM is under pressure to pull the plug on EV mandates. → MARC GOLD moves on from the Senate. Trade war CHARGED DEBATE — With talks with Trump back on, Prime Minister MARK CARNEY met with the Big Three automakers in Ottawa on Wednesday — a pitstop in the pursuit of that elusive economic and security partnership with the United States. — In the room: The CEOs of Ford Canada, Stellantis Canada and GM Canada. CBC News reports the confab was requested by the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association. — On the agenda: 'The need to build up a made-in-Canada supply chain as well as diversify our trading partners,' according to a statement from the PM's office. They covered trade war fallout. 'The leaders also discussed opportunities to make Canada's auto sector more sustainable and competitive in the face of shifting trade relationships, market conditions and supply chains,' the statement said. — Messaging POTUS: FLAVIO VOLPE, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, tells Playbook the auto execs have a simple message they'd like the PM to deliver to POTUS: 'The tariffs you put on, please take them off.' The Canadian auto sector faces 25 percent tariffs on all non-U.S. auto content and 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, the key raw material in vehicle making. Getting a deal on autos will be central to any agreement Trump and Carney are able to land. — Keep on killing: Carney's decision to climb down on the digital services tax is fueling hope in some quarters that he might be inclined to reverse another policy decree he inherited from the government of JUSTIN TRUDEAU: The mandate to end the production of all combustion engine cars in 2035, paving the way for electric vehicle sales. BRIAN KINGSTON, chief executive of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, tells Playbook that poor sales in Canada and the U.S. make the mandate untenable. Kingston told us Wednesday's meeting covered trade policy and the federal zero-emission vehicle sales mandate. 'The CVMA underscored that at a time when the industry is under immense pressure, the damaging and redundant ZEV mandate must be urgently removed,' he wrote us. 'Canada's longest established automakers appreciated the candid discussion with the Prime Minister and look forward to collaborating to protect and grow this critical industry,' Kingston added. — The context: Kingston previously told us that Canadian demand for EVs 'has actually fallen through the floor' — down to 6.5 percent in March, a 45 percent decline compared to the same month last year. 'In the U.S., EV sales have effectively flat-lined at around 10 percent.' Without EV sales, he added: 'You can't move ahead with a project to build a battery plant and a major EV assembly plant.' DAVID ADAMS, president of the Global Automakers of Canada, told CP that he thinks Carney is a 'pretty pragmatic person' and that 'he'd be wanting to work with the industry to remove a barrier or an irritant that was both costly and problematic.' → A tell from the PM?: Carney took to X after Wednesday's gathering to thank Kingston and the CEOs for their input. — Intel: A government source with direct knowledge of Ottawa's negotiating strategy says Canada's EV plan needs to align with U.S. strategy. The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive information, pointed out that Trump has been canceling EV mandates, notwithstanding a recent court ruling ordering that they be reinstated. 'We do not have a trade problem,' the source explained. 'We have a policy alignment problem from the perspective of the Trump administration.' Trump recently revoked California's EV mandate, which is not unlike Canada's. 'The auto sector is saying, 'If we're going to stay in Canada, you must get rid of this EV mandate,'' the source said. Want more POLITICO? Download our mobile app to save stories, get notifications on U.S.-Canada relations, and more. In iOS or Android . THE ROOMS THAT MATTER — 9:30 a.m. Industry Minister MÉLANIE JOLY will deliver remarks at Saguenay-Le Fjord Chamber of Commerce and Industry. CONVERSATION STARTER GOLD STANDARD — When MARC GOLD became the Liberal government's rep in the Senate in 2020, he kept his parents' advice top of mind. 'All you have is your good name,' they told him from an early age. 'I put that on the line more than once,' Gold said in tears during an exit interview with Playbook. 'It's not an easy job because we have this huge responsibility, but we don't control any votes. So like my predecessor and like my successor, I relied upon the relationships and the trust that I could develop with my colleagues — both in leadership and in the Senate.' On Monday he turned 75 — the mandatory retirement age for senators, days after he helped steamroll Bill C-5 through the upper chamber. — Pack it in: Playbook spoke to Gold as he was packing up his office, previously filled with 40 family pictures, books and a guitar. Gold, who is known to perform at Senate holiday parties, caught MAVIS STAPLES at the Ottawa Jazz Festival during his final week in Ottawa. 'She's an old favorite of mine.' And spent his mornings listening to JERRY LEE LEWIS and JOHN COLTRANE records. 'I'm full of emotions these days, but very much at peace and looking forward to the next chapter,' said Gold. 'This has really been a remarkably nourishing and important experience.' — Apply within: Gold was among the first senators appointed in 2016 under a public application process. He previously taught constitutional law, and even once trained federally appointed judges. 'I certainly had no expectation I would be selected. But when I did get the call from the prime minister, I was honored. And I have to say it's been the best chapter in my professional life.' Gold was selected by a nonpartisan, independent advisory board under a process created by then-Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU who said he wanted to make the Red Chamber less partisan and more diverse. — Before that: The Senate was dominated by a Liberal-Conservative duopoly for nearly 150 years. — Proudest moment: Gold said changes to the Senate allowed it to better fulfill its constitutional role: reviewing legislation, amplifying underrepresented voices, and respecting the will of the elected House. 'An independent Senate … means more independence from the direct control of the Prime Minister's Office,' Gold said. 'I'd like to see that continue. It's up to the prime minister to decide what adjustments, if any, he chooses to make.' — Crickets: We asked the Prime Minister's Office for an update on Senate reforms. It did not respond. — New chapter: His time as government representative in the Senate was bookended by Covid-19 and the Canada-U.S. trade war. Now, he hopes that it's only his guitar skills that keep him up at night. — Farewell: Gold is back in Quebec's Eastern Townships with his wife Nancy. Despite being in two bands (Steamfitters, Hard Knocks), he wants to form a new blues band, and maybe join a country band. In winter 2026, he'll teach a politics class at McGill University. 'It's sort of my gap year, if I can pretend to be young for a moment,' Gold said. 'I'm not ready to hang up my boots.' MORNING MUST-CLICKS — Our colleagues in D.C. report that House Republicans pulled an all-nighter to advance the megabill and are set to vote on final passage around 6 a.m. — The Globe points out that the role of Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise remains vacant. — The Associated Press reports that a U.S. judge has ruled that China's Huawei Technologies must face criminal charges alleging it stole technology and engaged in racketeering, wire and bank fraud and other crimes. The charges stem from Canada's December 2018 arrest, in execution of a U.S. extradition request, of the daughter of Huawei's founder, which led to nearly three years of tit-for-tat imprisonment of Canadians MICHAEL KOVRIG and MICHAEL SPAVOR in Chinese prisons. — 'The sound of silence of late from Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE is one of the summer's blessings,' JIM COYLE writes in the Toronto Star. — ÉLIE CANTIN-NANTEL, who worked with ANDREW LAWTON at the True North Centre for Public Policy, interviewed his former colleague for The Hub. PROZONE For POLITICO Pro subscribers, here's our latest policy newsletter: In news for Pro subscribers: — Lethal heat is Europe's new climate reality. — The first American 'scientific refugees' arrive in France. — Trump's energy council to review mineral, energy grants. — Trump uprooted a major climate effort. Scientists are fighting back. — A new tech race is on. Can Europe learn from the ones it lost? PLAYBOOKERS Birthdays: HBD to Power Corporation's PAUL DESMARAIS JR., former MP ADAM VAUGHAN, professor and former journo MATTHEW FRASER, GREG LOERTS of Bluesky Strategy Group, CAMERON PENNER of Blackbird Strategies. HBD+1 to Fisheries Minister JOANNE THOMPSON (65!). Noted: Above the fold in the National Post: 'Mark Carney may have a winking problem.' Spotted: Firefighters from Mexico, arriving to help wildfires in Manitoba … Ontario Premier DOUG FORD and JEAN CHAREST meeting at the Canada–UAE Business Council. Movers and shakers: Independent MLAs PETER GUTHRIE and SCOTT SINCLAIR are reviving Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party … Earnscliffe Strategies is bringing on JACKIE MARSON. Lobby watch: CEFA Systems Inc., a company behind private schools founded by NATACHA BEIM, posted five June meetings with Small Business Secretary of State RECHIE VALDEZ. ALICIA ADAMS registered to lobby on behalf of ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp. … GIORGIO EFRAIMIDIS registered for Malahat Battery Technologies Corp. … CATHY LOBLAW registered for Harbourfront Corporation … RICHARD MAHONEY registered for Adobe … Crestview's ANTHONY MATAR registered for Northern Graphite and Winsome Resources. Media mentions: Halifax-based reporter JEN TAPLIN returns to The Chronicle Herald. Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Send it all our way. TRIVIA Wednesday's answer: Then-Prince of Wales and then-Duchess of Cornwall, now known as KING CHARLES III and QUEEN CAMILLA, attended Canada Day in 2017 to mark the country's 150th birthday. Props to MARCEL MARCOTTE, JOANNA PLATER, ALEX BALLINGALL, CHRIS RANDS, RONALD LEMIEUX, ALYSON FAIR, GREG MACEACHERN, NANCI WAUGH, MARY JANE ALLAN, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, JOHN MATHESON, JENN KEAY and ELIZABETH BURN. Today's question: Who led the royal commission that led to the establishment of the Bank of Canada? For bonus marks: Tell us how this question is related to this date in history. Send your answer to canadaplaybook@ Writing tomorrow's Playbook: MICKEY DJURIC and MIKE BLANCHFIELD. Canada Playbook would not happen without: Canada Editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and POLITICO's Grace Maalouf.
Boston Globe
12 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
What would Edward R. Murrow think of CBS parent company caving in to Donald Trump?
You can chalk up a lot of its popularity to its star, George Clooney, who plays the legendary newsman and who wrote the play with Grant Heslov, based on But no doubt some measure of the success of the play is also rooted in its relevance and resonance today. Advertisement Murrow enhanced his credibility, and that of CBS, and showcased journalistic and personal courage by exposing McCarthy's anti-communist witch hunt as a reckless abuse of civil liberties and civility. Murrow wouldn't back down in the face of McCarthy's threats or pressure from his corporate bosses after the loss of a major network sponsor. Given all this, one has to wonder what Murrow would make of the decision by Paramount, CBS' parent company, to Advertisement Trump's lawyer had claimed Trump suffered 'mental anguish' from a '60 Minutes' interview last October of then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's Democratic opponent in the presidential election. Trump and his lawyers maintained the editing of the interview made Harris appear more coherent and intelligent than she really is, that it amounted to false advertising, or deceptive trade practices. Trump attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik said that beyond the mental anguish the interview caused Trump, it misled voters and led them to pay less attention to him and his regular assertions on Truth Social. How Counselor Paltzik would prove this in a court of law where there are, unlike on Truth Social, rules of evidence would have made for some entertaining lawyering. Alas, we'll never know. While CBS and Paramount initially came out swinging, insisting Trump's case was entirely without merit, the beancounters had the final say, as they are wont to do. Paramount caving isn't very surprising, if still very depressing. Paramount chair and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone had made it clear she favored a settlement. Surely, her position had nothing to do with the fact that the Meeting with shareholders Wednesday, George Cheeks, Paramount's co-CEO, Somehow, Mr. Cheeks did not find the time to mention the word principle. My only surprise is that he didn't try to suggest the capitulation constituted a bargain, given that Advertisement In a statement announcing the settlement, Paramount executives went to great length to portray their actions as somehow not amounting to a capitulation, pointing out that, aside from paying Trump's legal fees, the $16 million goes not to Trump but the fund to build his presidential library. Oh, and they were not required to apologize to Trump. They might want to apologize to Murrow's memory and current 60 Minutes correspondents and viewers. In May, those CBS is hardly the only media giant to turtle in its shell rather than stand up to a bully. Last year, ABC's parent company, Disney, agreed to donate $15 million to Trump's presidential library rather than go to trial after Trump sued them for defamation. Trump's claim was based on the fact that ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos had said on air that Trump had been found liable for rape when he was actually found liable for sexual abuse. At the time, media law experts had warned that Disney's capitulation to Trump would embolden him and others to file dubious lawsuits against media companies that would rather settle than go all the way to trial. One month later, So, if you're keeping score at home, Trump has taken $56 million off craven media companies who don't have the guts to take him on in court. He'd be a fool to not keep suing. Advertisement US Senator Elizabeth Warren has likened these payoffs to bribes. She wants US Senator Ed Markey called Paramount's settlement 'a blow to journalistic independence.' US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont didn't pull any punches. 'It is a dark day for independent journalism and freedom of the press, an essential part of our democracy,' Sanders said. 'It is a victory for a president who is attempting to stifle dissent and undermine American democracy.' Congress can investigate all it wants. Nothing will change until the big media companies care more about their audiences than their shareholders. Meaning nothing will change. All this on the eve of July 4th, when we celebrate our country's independence, an independence that was underwritten by a free press which today is demonstrably less free that it was just a year ago. Good night, and good luck. Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
