Trump's big tax bill has passed the House. Here's what's inside itNew Foto - Trump's big tax bill has passed the House. Here's what's inside it

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans early Thursday took a major step forward on PresidentDonald Trump's agenda, approving a legislative package that combines tax breaks, spending cuts, border security funding and other priorities. House committees labored for months on the bill, which underwent late changes to win over holdouts in the Republican conference. It exceeds 1,000 pages and is titled the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a nod to Trump himself. Republicans made one last round of revisions before the bill reached the House floor, boosting the state and local tax deduction to win over centrists and speeding up the work requirements in Medicaid to win over those who didn't believe the bill did enough to curb spending. Here's a look at what's in the legislative package, which is expected to undergo more changes when it goes to the Senate. Tax cuts for individuals and businesses Republicans look to make permanent the individual income and estate tax cuts passed in Trump's first term, in 2017, plus enact promises he made on the 2024 campaign trail to not tax tips, overtime and interest on some auto loans. To partially offset the lost revenue, Republicans propose repealing or phasing out more quickly the clean energy tax credits passed during Joe Biden's presidency, helping to bring down the overall cost of the tax portion to about $3.8 trillion. The bill includes a temporary boost in the standard deduction — a $1,000 increase for individuals, bringing it to $16,000 for individual filers, and a $2,000 boost for joint filers, bringing it to $32,000. The deduction reduces the amount of income that is actually subject to income tax. There is also a temporary $500 increase in the child tax credit, bringing it to $2,500 for 2025 through 2028. It then returns to $2,000 and will increase to account for inflation. The estate tax exemption rises to $15 million and is adjusted for inflation going forward. One of the thorniest issues in negotiations had been how much to raise the state and local tax deduction, now capped at $10,000. That's been a priority of New York lawmakers. The bill increases the "SALT" cap to $40,000 for incomes up to $500,000, with the cap phasing downward for those with higher incomes. Also, the cap and income threshold will increase 1% annually over 10 years. Several of the provisions Trump promised in the campaign would be temporary, lasting roughly through his term in office. The tax breaks for tips, overtime and car loan interest expire at the end of 2028. That's also the case for a $4,000 increase in the standard deduction for seniors. Among the various business tax provisions, small businesses, including partnerships and S corporations, will be able to subtract 23% of their qualified business income from their taxes. The deduction has been 20% Businesses will temporarily be allowed to fully expense domestic research and development costs in the year they occur and the cost of machinery, equipment and other qualifying assets. This encourages businesses to invest in ways that enhances their productivity. Parents and older Americans face work requirements for food assistance House Republicans would reduce spending on food aid, what is known as the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, by about $267 billion over 10 years. States would shoulder 5% of benefit costs, beginning in fiscal 2028, and 75% of the administrative costs. Currently, states pay none of the benefit and half of the administration costs. Republicans also are expanding the work requirements to receive food aid. Under current law, able-bodied adults without dependents must fulfill work requirements until they are 54, and that would change under the bill to age 64. Also, some parents are currently exempt from work requirements until their children are 18; that would change so only those caring for a dependent child under the age of 7 are exempt. And new work requirements for Medicaid A focal point ofthe packageis nearly $700 billion in reduced spending in the Medicaid program, according to CBO. To be eligible for Medicaid, there would be new "community engagement requirements" of at least 80 hours per month of work, education or service for able-bodied adults without dependents. The new requirements would begin on Dec. 31, 2026. People would also have to verify their eligibility for the program twice a year, rather than just once. Republicans are looking to generate savings with new work requirements. But Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage. A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade. No taxes on gun silencers, no money for Planned Parenthood and more Republicans are also using the package to reward allies and disadvantage political foes. The package would eliminate a $200 tax on gun silencers that has existed since Congress passed the National Firearms Act in 1934. The elimination of the tax is supported by the NRA. The group Giffords, which works to reduce gun violence, said silencers make it more difficult to recognize the sound of gunfire and locate the source of gunshots, impairing the ability of law enforcement to respond to active shooters. Republicans are also looking to prohibit Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion care. Democrats say defunding the organization would make it harder for millions of patients to get cancer screenings, pap tests and birth control. 'Trump' kids $1,000 savings accounts The bill originally called for "MAGA" accounts, shorthand for Trump's signature line, "Make America Great Again." But in a last-minute revision, the bill changed the name to "Trump" accounts. For parents or guardians who open new "Trump" accounts for their children, the federal government will contribute $1,000 for babies born between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2028. Families could add $5,000 a year, with the account holders unable to take distributions before age 18. Then, they could access up to 50% of the money to pay for higher education, training and first-time home purchases. At age 30, account holders have access to the full balance of the account for any purpose. Funding for Trump's mass deportation operation The legislation would provide $46.5 billion to revive construction of Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and more money for the deportation agenda. There's $4 billion to hire an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents as well as 5,000 new customs officers, and $2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses. There's also funds for 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators. It includes major changes to immigration policy, imposing a $1,000 fee on migrants seeking asylum — something the nation has never done, putting it on par with few others, including Australia and Iran. Overall, the plan is to remove 1 millionimmigrantsannually and house 100,000 people in detention centers. More money for the Pentagon and Trump's 'Golden Dome' There's also nearlywith $150 billionin new money for the Defense Department and national security. It would provide $25 billion for Trump's "Golden Dome for America," a long-envisioned missile defense shield, $21 billion to restock the nation's ammunition arsenal, $34 billion to expand the naval fleet with more shipbuilding and some $5 billion for border security. It also includes $9 billion for servicemember quality of life-related issues, including housing, health care and special pay. Tax on university endowments and overhaul of student loans A wholesale revamping of the student loan program is key to the legislation, providing$330 billion in budget cuts and savings. The proposal would replace all existing student loan repayment plans with just two: a standard option with monthly payments spread out over 10 to 25 years and a "repayment assistance" plan that is generally less generous than those it would replace. Among other changes, the bill would repeal Biden-era regulations that made it easier for borrowers to get loans canceled if their colleges defrauded them or closed suddenly. There would be a tax increase, up to 21%, on some university endowments. More drilling, mining on public lands To generate revenue,one sectionwould allow increased leasing of public lands for drilling, mining and logging while clearing the path for more development by speeding up government approvals. Royalty rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be cut, reversing Biden's attempts tocurb fossil fuelsto help address climate change. ___ Associated Press writers Collin Binkley and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.

Trump's big tax bill has passed the House. Here's what's inside it

Trump's big tax bill has passed the House. Here's what's inside it WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans early Thursday took a maj...
Senate likely to change House-passed megabill advancing Trump's agendaNew Foto - Senate likely to change House-passed megabill advancing Trump's agenda

House Republicans approved the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"encompassing President Donald Trump's legislative agenda early Thursday. But clearing the House is just the first hurdle for the bill, which will also have to pass muster with a Senate Republican conference that is already telegraphing that changes to it are coming. Trump is pushing for swift action on his megabill, urging senatorsin a post on Xto act "as soon as possible" after the narrow victory in the House. "We can celebrate this pass in the House for a couple of hours, but now it's time for the Senate to get to work," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Thursday's White House press briefing. "The president has great relationship with ... Senate Majority Leader [John] Thune, and of course, so many friends on the Senate side of the Hill. And he's expecting them to get busy on this bill and send it to his desk as soon as possible." MORE: Republican-led House passes Trump agenda bill by a single vote Senate Republicans say they're clear-eyed about wanting to pass Trump's legislative agenda into law as swiftly as they can, but have every intention of modifying the bill to leave their own distinct mark on the package and working to change things they object to. Majority Leader Thune said Wednesday that "there are things that we need to adjust or modify or change," adding that Speaker Mike Johnson "fully understands and accepts that." Chief among the issues GOP senators have raised about the bill is that it adds trillions of dollars to the national debt. "[The] House bill is going to add about $4 trillion to the debt ceiling. The Senate bill adds $5 trillion. There's nothing fiscally conservative about expanding the debt ceiling more than we've ever done it before," Republican Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday. "This will be the greatest increase in the debt ceiling ever, and the GOP owns this now … the deficit this year will be $2.2 trillion the GOP owns that now too." Some Senate Republicans are calling for steeper spending cuts so that raising the debt limit would not be part of this bill. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, a notable fiscal hawk, has also signaled strongly that he would not support the bill in its current form, given that it raises the deficit. "It's so far off the mark. It's so bad. I've been trying to interject reality. I've been trying to interject facts and figures," Ron Johnson told reporters on Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol, as the House was still advancing the bill through the Rules Committee. "Currently the fiscal situation is not even in the conversation in the House debate. We're missing the forest talking about twigs and leaves. Medicaid, that's, that's a tree. That's a big enough issue. But all this, all this, all these little tweaks they're trying to make to get the deal completely ignores the elf in the room.. which says, on average, I mean, current [Congressional Budget Office] estimate, on average, we'll have a $2.2 trillion deficit, per year," Sen. Johnson added. A few GOP Senators seemed more supportive of the bill, but noted there was significant work needed to be done in order to pass through the upper chamber. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said "a lot of it looks pretty good," adding that it's a "good start." "Still, I think there's some opportunities for more efficiency, some more savings, and we have to look at the specifics of some of the renewable investment tax credits and production tax credits, and I think that even if we're going to revise them, we've got to make sure that businesses who believe the government was setting this as a priority don't have a lot of stranded costs," he added. If the bill is retooled by the Senate, it risks a complicated path for the speaker down the road when the bill goes back to the House. Republicans have set a Fourth of July deadline for both chambers to pass the bill and get it to Trump's desk. Passing this massive package through the Senate is also no cakewalk for Thune, who will only be able to afford to lose three of his members if it comes up for a vote on the Senate floor. MORE: What is SALT and why does it threaten Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill?' The House-passed bill includes new tax cuts, cuts to social safety net programs and changes to the food assistance program, SNAP -- all of which have led Democrats to lambaste the legislation for creating benefits for some of the richest Americans and cuts for some of the poorest. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the bill ina post on X Thursday morning. "This is not one big, beautiful bill. It's ugly," Schumer said. "There's nothing beautiful about stripping away people's healthcare, forcing kids to go hungry, denying communities the resources they need, and increasing poverty." Democratic Sen. Patty Murray called the bill a "scam"in a post on X, urging all Republicans to vote no. "House Republicans don't want you to know they just passed a bill that makes health care MORE expensive and kicks MILLIONS off Medicaid, all to pass tax cuts for billionaires & giant corporations," Murray wrote. "We need to make sure America knows. And we need to kill this bill in the Senate." Leavitt criticized Democrats as being "out of touch" with Americans. "Every single Democrat in the House of Representatives who voted against all of these common sense and massively popular policies," Leavitt said during Thursday's White House press briefing. "The Democrat Party has never been more radical and out of touch with the needs of the American people." The Senate will also have to contend with the rules governing what can be included in such a package. Making sure that the bill passes muster with the Senate parliamentarian could lead to additional changes to the bill that Mike Johnson will eventually have to sell to his conference in the House. As Trump now prepares to negotiate with Senators, Leavitt told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce that she was not aware if those conversations had started already. Speaker Johnson had to work with his right flank to get the megabill passed in the House, which he managed to do by one vote. So what changed to get those more than a dozen holdouts on board? Not much, several hard-liners told ABC News. MORE: Trump urges House Republicans not to mess with Medicaid amid push to pass bill advancing his agenda: Sources After laboring for days to push for steeper spending cuts and repeatedly railing against the spending that added to the bloated national deficit, many of the holdouts caved. "The Freedom Caucus was instrumental, and we held it out as long as we could to get the cuts, as long as we could. We couldn't do it any longer. We live to fight another day," Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, a key holdout, told reporters. Norman says there was no specific deal struck between Trump, the speaker and the hard-line holdouts -- even after a high-stakes, last-ditch meeting at the White House Wednesday. Chair of the House Freedom Caucus, Andy Harris, wouldn't give the bill his vote. He voted "present." Republican Rep. Keith Self, another hard-liner, told ABC News that he waited until the last minute to vote yes on the bill. He didn't fully support the bill, but didn't want to be the one to tank it. "We got something … I would have preferred to go further too, to be honest with you, but we did what we could, and we fought the good fight," Self said. That number of "more than a dozen" holdouts also included Republicans from states like New York and California, pushing for a higher cap on the state and local tax deduction. Speaker Johnson raised that cap from its proposed $30,000 to $40,000, and increasing 1% a year thereafter. That was enough to get their support. But, for the spending hawks, it's unclear how they can characterize this as a win. Leavitt said Thursday that she believes that Trump would want to see the two Republican representatives who voted no on the bill -- Reps. Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson -- should be primaried. "I don't think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress. What's the alternative? I would ask those members of Congress. Did they want to see a tax hike? Did they want to see our country go bankrupt? That's the alternative by them trying to vote no," Leavitt said. ABC News' Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report. Senate likely to change House-passed megabill advancing Trump's agendaoriginally appeared onabcnews.go.com

Senate likely to change House-passed megabill advancing Trump’s agenda

Senate likely to change House-passed megabill advancing Trump's agenda House Republicans approved the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act...
Could Patriots QB Drake Maye be primed to take a big step forward in his 2nd NFL season?New Foto - Could Patriots QB Drake Maye be primed to take a big step forward in his 2nd NFL season?

(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.) The 2024 NFL Draft quarterback class was hyped entering the league, then gave fans plenty of reason to justify it in Year 1. Jayden Daniels won Rookie of the Year, Bo Nix led the Denver Broncos to the playoffs, and Caleb Williams flashed moments of promise despite a poor ecosystem. But Drake Maye might be the one to watch as a sophomore, somethingNate Tice, Charles McDonald and Matt Harmon discussed on the latest episode of the "Football 301" podcast. Nobody's saying Daniels shouldn't have won Rookie of the Year last season, but in terms of how their performances bode for the future, Charles McDonald is excited about Maye given how well he played amid the circumstances. "It just felt like the structure of the team was not there," McDonald said. "Obviously there was no offensive line at all. The weapons they had didn't really work out." New England finished with a 4-13 record. The Patriots used the fourth overall pick this spring on LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell, plus they drafted Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in Round 2 and Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams in Round 3. The strengthening around him should help Maye. McDonald was impressed with how Maye generated offense by himself, even throwing players open from the pocket and staring down pressure. "When you look at most quarterbacks and guys who kind of need a supporting cast around them, they probably would have drowned in that situation last year," McDonald said. "So the fact that he could even just stay up and just be his own generator of plays when things are falling apart, it gives you such a high floor for what this offense can be." The Patriots' second-round pick of a year ago, wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk, was one of the most disappointing rookies last season. But there might be good reason for that, according to Matt Harmon. "He's the perfect type of player that I think was set up to fail coming into the year, because the9 routewas his most commonly run route. And he basically took all of his snaps from X receiver, which there was quite literally nothing on his on his college film as a prospect that indicated like he should be doing that," Harmon said. Polk might have also been the worst blocking receiver in the league last year, according to Harmon, and he was good at it in college. "Educated guess: Not a lot of good coaching going on in New England last year," Harmon said. Unsurprisingly, the Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo and brought in former New England linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to run the show. Vrabel brought back Josh McDaniels, who was offensive coordinator for 13 total seasons under Bill Belichick and also served as Tom Brady's quarterbacks coach those years. Nate Tice is optimistic for Drake Maye in part because of McDaniels' hire. "He always has structured offenses," Tice said. "They had really good run game. They tied stuff together with what the quarterback likes, whether it was Tom Brady or Mac Jones or Cam Newton. Like, no matter what the offense really feels fits the quarterback." Moreover, Maye had a dropback success rate of 46.5% as a rookie, which was good for 16th in the NFL already and puts him in some rare air. It's the seventh-best dropback success rate among rookie QBs since 2012, behind Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Jayden Daniels, Mac Jones and Robert Griffin III, and ahead of the likes of C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert. "That's great that his efficiency is already at that high level in this bad circumstances," Tice said. "And the fact that I thought even early on he'd be a little boom-busty as a quarterback until he figured it out. He shows so much more already."

Could Patriots QB Drake Maye be primed to take a big step forward in his 2nd NFL season?

Could Patriots QB Drake Maye be primed to take a big step forward in his 2nd NFL season? (This article was written with the assistance of Ca...
Toronto Maple Leafs don't renew Brendan Shanahan's contract after latest playoff exitNew Foto - Toronto Maple Leafs don't renew Brendan Shanahan's contract after latest playoff exit

Toronto Maple Leafspresident Brendan Shanahan won't have his contract renewed after the team fell short again in the playoffs. "It was determined that a new voice was required to take the team to the next level in the years ahead," MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelleysaid in a statementon Thursday. The Maple Leafs had one playoff appearance in nine years before Shanahan, a Hall of Fame player, was hired in 2014. They now have the league's longest active playoff streak at nine seasons, but the postseason woes continued for a team that last reached the conference finals in 2002 and last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. They reached the second round this season for the second time since 2004 and won the first two games against theFlorida Panthersin the second round. But they lost the series in seven games. Games 5 and 7 were6-1 blowout lossesat home. That collapse could cause changes in the Core Four, especially since Mitch Marner and John Tavares are pending unrestricted free agents.Recently extended Auston Matthewsand William Nylander also are part of that key group. "While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting in 2014, ultimately, I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not,"Shanahan said in a statement. "There is nothing more I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job." Sportsnet reported WednesdaythatIslandershave sought permission to talk to Shanahan about a front-office position. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Brendan Shanahan out as Toronto Maple Leafs president in NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs don't renew Brendan Shanahan's contract after latest playoff exit

Toronto Maple Leafs don't renew Brendan Shanahan's contract after latest playoff exit Toronto Maple Leafspresident Brendan Shanahan ...
One House Republican opposed Trump on key votes for years and survived. Can he do it again?New Foto - One House Republican opposed Trump on key votes for years and survived. Can he do it again?

President Donald Trump often seems like the sun around which other Republicans orbit, setting their direction and movements — and, every so often, slingshotting one out of his solar system when they displease him. But one GOP lawmaker has consistently found his own political gravity, surviving clash after clash against the party's standard bearer: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Massie was one of the few Republicans staunchly opposed to theRepublican Party's sweeping billto enact key pieces of Trump's agenda this year, such as extending the 2017 tax cuts and boosting spending for immigration enforcement. And he has not shied away from voicing his criticism what Trump has dubbed his "one big beautiful bill," which, in Massie's words, amounts to a "ticking debt bomb," represents "Biden-level spending and increased deficits," and contains a concession he said would "primarily benefit limousine liberals in blue states." Trump, never shy with words, has blasted Massie as a "grandstander" who "should be voted out of office" — criticism Massie haspointed to in fundraising appealsfor his own campaign. It's not a new dynamic for the Kentuckian, one of the rare Republicans who has found himself at odds with Trump on multiple occasions but has lived to tell the tale. The question is whether he can do it again in 2026, and whether the tension evaporates as it has before or if Trump actually takes the step of backing a primary challenger this time. "That's a step up," Massie said Tuesday, speaking about Trump's threats. "In 2020, he wanted me thrown out of the GOP, so losing a seat wouldn't be as bad as being thrown out, would it?" "I think that's hyperbole on his part. I'm not worried about it," Massie continued. Massie, a staunch libertarian who came to Washington as the tea party took over the House Republican conference in the early 2010s, has indeed found himself crosswise with Trump over the years. Heblasted early attempts by Republicansto repeal Obamacare in 2017. Hesided with Democratsin an attempt to overturn Trump's emergency declaration on the southern border in 2019. And his opposition to the 2020 Covid relief package during the early days of the pandemic led to Trump labeling him a"third rate Grandstander"on social media and encouraging a primary challenge against him. Massie has long observed that he and Trump aren't coming from the same ideological roots. In 2017, he told the Washington Examiner that Trump's election had caused him to re-evaluate his assumptions about what motivated Republican voters during and after the tea party era. "After some soul searching I realized when they voted for Rand [Paul] and Ron [Paul] and me in these primaries, they weren't voting for libertarian ideas — they were voting for the craziest son of a bitch in the race,"Massie said. "And Donald Trump won best in class, as we had up until he came along." Massie revisited the quote in a brief interview with NBC News last year on the sidelines of a presidential campaign event for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa. Massie was one of the few members of Congress to endorse a Trump challenger in the 2024 primaries, and he withheld his endorsement of Trump in the general electionuntil the race's final days. "I used to think I wanted Congress to have more crazy candidates," Massie said last year. "And I have decided that is not the case. And I do think there's a backlash. People are looking for somebody that's just a solid conservative. I think we're tired of crazy, and the voters are too." "In the race for crazy, I used to be able to lead the lap sometimes," Massie added with a smile. "Now I can't even stay on the lead lap." Despite the high-profile dissents and social media confrontations, while Trump previously mused about finding a primary opponent to topple Massie, no serious one has materialized. Massie cruised to victory in his primary months after Trump's 2020 threat, and he evenwon Trump's endorsement ahead of his 2022 primary. To hear Massie describe it, he's weathered it fine. Other Republicans have lost primaries or decided to retire, sometimes amid tanking poll numbers, in the face of Trump's wrath. Not him. "I've got the Trump antibodies," Massietold Fox News in 2024when asked if he'd face political retribution for not endorsing Trump's primary bid. He added, "Trump came at me and I won my re-election, so I'm not worried about it." He currently faces only one Republican challenger, Nicole Lee Ethington, a nurse who hascriticized Massie on social mediafor his "no" vote on the recent legislation. But it remains to be seen how hard Trump or his allies might try to go after Massie in next year's GOP primary. The Kentucky Republican eclipsed 75% of the vote in each of his last three primaries. Still, Massie's libertarian politics mean he's regularly found himself in the minority among congressional Republicans, particularly on the issues of spending, America's military involvement abroad and the government's use of surveillance at home. Once again, he's found himself in a familiar place in Trump's Republican Party.

One House Republican opposed Trump on key votes for years and survived. Can he do it again?

One House Republican opposed Trump on key votes for years and survived. Can he do it again? President Donald Trump often seems like the sun ...

 

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