Latest news with #R-La.
Politico
2 days ago
- Business
- Politico
GOP megabill's final score: $3.4T in red ink and 10 million kicked off health insurance, CBO says
The package President Donald Trump signed on July 4 would grow the deficit over the next 10 years, Congress' nonpartisan scorekeeper predicts. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) react as they arrive for a signing ceremony for a budget reconciliation bill for President Trump's legislative agenda at the U.S. Capitol July 3, 2025. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images) | AP By Jennifer Scholtes Robert King and Benjamin Guggenheim 07/21/2025 02:32 PM EDT Congress' nonpartisan scorekeeper released its final prediction Monday for how President Donald Trump's signature legislative achievement will grow the national debt and affect U.S. households. Over the next decade, the megabill Trump signed on July 4 would increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion and cause 10 million people to lose health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts. While the newly enacted legislation would save more than $1 trillion by cutting federal spending on health care — with the majority coming from Medicaid — CBO predicts that the package's costs will far outweigh its savings. The bulk of the red ink from the package comes from the GOP's permanent extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts. The analysis finds that the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, enacted policies that would decrease the incoming federal cash flow from taxes by a total of $4.5 trillion. That sum includes the cost of tax cuts Republicans added during Senate floor debate of the package.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump announces agreement to end House floor revolt over crypto bills
President Trump said late Tuesday that he has reached a deal with most of the House Republicans who derailed a procedural vote earlier in the day, putting a trio of cryptocurrency bills on a path to consideration in the lower chamber. The announcement — made on Truth Social — came after Trump said he met with 11 out of 12 of the House Republicans who torpedoed the procedural vote Tuesday afternoon, which brought the floor to a screeching halt. 'I am in the Oval Office with 11 of the 12 Congressmen/women necessary to pass the GENIUS Act and, after a short discussion, they have all agreed to vote tomorrow morning in favor of the Rule,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was at the meeting via telephone, and looks forward to taking the Vote as early as possible,' he added. 'I want to thank the Congressmen/women for their quick and positive response. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' It remains unclear what assurances the dozen Republicans received to win over their support for the procedural rule. Republican 'no' votes included Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Scott Perry (Pa.), Chip Roy (Texas), Victoria Spartz (Ind.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Andy Harris (Md.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Keith Self (Texas) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.). House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) switched his vote to 'no' as a procedural move to allow the chamber to revote on the measure at a later date. 'I'm thankful for President Trump getting involved tonight to ensure that we can pass the GENIUS Act tomorrow and agreeing again to help us advance additional crypto legislation in the coming days. Much more to come,' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday. The agreement, if it holds, nonetheless, will allow the House to adopt a procedural rule and move forward with consideration of the three cryptocurrency bills and a measure to fund the Pentagon for fiscal 2026 as early as Wednesday, putting the chamber back on track after Tuesday's hiccup. The chief concern among the hard-line contingent was the lack of a provision in the GENIUS Act that would block the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The bill, which aims to create a regulatory framework for dollar-backed digital tokens known as stablecoins, is the most likely to become law after clearing the Senate last month. While the House is also set to consider the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, which would bar the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency, the measure seems unlikely to gain traction in the Senate. Trump, who has become a key ally of the crypto industry in his second term, has urged the House to quickly pass a 'clean' stablecoin bill, frustrating efforts by lawmakers to tweak the legislation or tie it to another measure, such as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which would divide oversight of the broader crypto market between two financial regulators, is also up for consideration by the House this week. However, the Senate appears poised to propose its own market structure legislation. Votes on rules — which govern debate on measures — are typically mundane, party-line efforts in which members of the majority party vote in favor and those in the minority party vote in opposition. In recent years, however, some Republicans have used the procedural votes to express their displeasure with legislation or leadership. Updated at 10 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump bashes ‘foolish Republicans' for getting ‘duped' on Epstein
President Trump on Wednesday bashed 'foolish Republicans' who he said were aiding Democrats by focusing on documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump during an Oval Office meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain repeated his claim that the documents connected to Epstein were a 'hoax' started by Democrats. Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in 2019, during Trump's first term. 'Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats' work,' Trump said. 'I call it the Epstein hoax. Takes a lot of time and effort. Instead of talking about the great achievements we've had … they're wasting their time with a guy who obviously had some very serious problems, who died three, four years ago. I'd rather talk about the success we have with the economy,' Trump added. Prominent Republicans and Trump supporters, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have in recent days called for greater transparency from the administration around files related to Epstein's case. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), an ardent Trump supporter, called for a special counsel to review the administration's handling of the Epstein files. Trump's backers, including some now serving in his administration, have for years espoused conspiracy theories around Epstein's death and suggested the government was covering up information that connected prominent Democrats to the convicted sex offender. But Trump has in recent days appeared exasperated by the fixation on Epstein. He has said Attorney General Pam Bondi can release 'credible' evidence related to Epstein, but has otherwise questioned why some of his followers are so fixated on the issue. 'Certain Republicans got duped by the Democrats and they're following a Democrat playbook,' Trump said. 'We do have bigger problems,' he added. The Justice Department and FBI issued a joint memo last week stating that Epstein did not have a client list and confirming his 2019 death at his New York City jail cell was a suicide. The findings incensed members of the MAGA movement, who have for years pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein's death and claims that prominent Democrats would be named on a client list. Epstein, accused in several cases of sex trafficking young girls, ran in high-powered circles with figures that included Trump, former President Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and a number of other celebrities and ultrawealthy people. Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been convicted of sex trafficking. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
DoorDash Exec: Let's Offer Gig Workers Stable, Flexible Benefits
Workers are looking for signs that Washington still has their backs, and a record majority of Americans are eager for the government to get more done. Fortunately, Congress has a rare opportunity to deliver something Americans want: the freedom to work how they choose, and the peace of mind that comes with greater security. This freedom would be a win for workers, for innovation, and for the country. More Americans than ever are choosing earnings opportunities outside traditional nine-to-five jobs. In fact, as many as one in three Americans have engaged in independent work, including over 8 million people who used the DoorDash platform last year alone. These people often have another full-time job or responsibilities—whether they are small business owners, students, parents, or caregivers—and deliver just four hours per week on average. They tell us they choose app-based work for the freedom it offers. But we at DoorDash also hear something else: those who deliver the most often want access to the kinds of benefits that offer a feeling of security. That includes things like health coverage if they suffer an unexpected illness, or extra savings to help them plan for retirement. They want benefits, but they don't want to give up the independence that drew them to this work in the first place. Unfortunately, under current law, that's exactly the choice they have to make. The fact is that companies like DoorDash would put the independence Dashers overwhelmingly want at risk by offering benefits that historically have been reserved for employees. It's time for that to change. Policymaking in this space has often been paralyzed by false choices: you can be a traditional employee with employer-sponsored benefits, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but no benefits. That doesn't reflect the moment we live in or our modern economy. Why can't more workers have access to benefits, without sacrificing their flexibility? U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) recently introduced legislation that does just that. It, along with a similar House bill, would allow companies like ours to design programs and contribute to benefit funds for independent workers without putting their independent contractor status at risk for purposes of federal law. These bills would be a step in the right direction—a practical fix that would help us begin to meet more working people where they are. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 2024: In this photo illustration, a person demonstrates making a delivery with DoorDash as a Dasher in April 2024 in San Francisco, California. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 2024: In this photo illustration, a person demonstrates making a delivery with DoorDash as a Dasher in April 2024 in San Francisco, approach is also a bipartisan one. During the last Congress, Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) offered a similar effort to "encourage experimentation at the state and local levels to support the realities of a 21st century workforce" through portable benefits. At the state level, Republicans and Democrats alike are also working on this issue. DoorDash has worked with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Maryland Governor Wes Moore to launch first-of-their-kind pilots in their respective states, with promising early results. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, a bipartisan bill to make the state the first in the nation to offer a portable benefits program tailored to app-based workers recently passed, arriving soon on Governor Tony Evers' desk to await his signature. The concept of portable benefits should galvanize policymakers regardless of party. It upholds worker freedom and choice, while finally bringing long-overdue innovation to our outdated rules. It extends more protections to more workers, as a way to support those who choose to do this kind of work more regularly. It should be no surprise, then, that when we asked Americans what they thought about portable benefits, a clear majority in both parties approved of the concept. Simply put: It's an idea whose time has come. This idea is gaining momentum because it actually reflects what Dashers tell us they want and how they want to work. Ultimately, we hope to see a national portable benefits program. The legislation Congress is considering would represent meaningful progress towards that goal. We don't have to treat our employment laws like they're etched in stone. After all, employer-sponsored health plans were once considered novel when they were first introduced back in the 1940s. The same could be said about retirement benefit plans when they came around in the 1970s. The time has come to once again rethink that model for a new generation of independent earners in 2025 and beyond. Nothing could be more pro-worker than expanding access to benefits to more people, and doing it in a way that protects the flexibility they consistently say they need. Workers need Congress to step up, rise above politics, and put us on a path that better reflects how people actually live and work today. Let's hope they heed the call. Max Rettig is Vice President and Global Head Of Public Policy at DoorDash. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fight over Epstein files holds up Trump DOGE cuts bill
The fight over how the Trump administration has handled disclosures relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is holding up final approval of a bill to codify $9 billion in Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid. Republicans on the House Rules Committee huddled with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) for more than an hour Thursday afternoon as the group searched for a path forward on the Epstein saga, which has inundated Capitol Hill and fractured the GOP. The Senate approved the $9 billion rescissions package in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and the clock is ticking on the matter. If the measure is not codified by Friday, the White House must release the funds it requested to withhold. Because the Senate made changes to the package to remove a provision cutting funding for a global AIDS fund, the House must bring up the bill again through the House Rules Committee before it goes to the House floor. The discussion over what to do about the Epstein saga — and negotiations with Johnson and GOP leadership about a GOP-backed Epstein file release measure — is delaying that effort. Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said the panel was originally supposed to meet at 10 a.m. Thursday to consider the rescissions package, but that got pushed as the Republicans negotiated on how to handle the Epstein matter. A number of Republicans have called for the release of the documents related to Epstein as they air frustration with how the Trump administration has handled the matter. Additionally, GOP lawmakers on the Rules panel have taken immense heat from the MAGA base for shooting down a Democratic-led amendment in committee earlier this week demanding the disclosure of more information. Leaving the meeting, Rep. Ralph Norman (S.C.), the only Republican on the panel to vote in favor of the Democratic amendment earlier this week, said the group was nearing a solution, but he declined to disclose any details. 'It's a good plan,' Norman told reporters. 'It's getting very close.' Ahead of the gathering, two sources told The Hill that Johnson was considering backing a measure calling for the disclosure of files related to Epstein. The structure and language of the measure remains unclear, but one source said it would likely protect the names of victims and whistleblowers involved in the Epstein case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
