As Republicans search for avenues to extend President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts, some Republican lawmakers involved in the process have floated the idea that the nation's highest earners could see a tax increase in order to usher in cuts for lower-earners.
For his part, the president is sending signals he tends to agree.
"You know, they'll go around saying, ‘Oh, this is so terrible.’ What you're doing is you're giving up something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets save more. So it's really a redistribution," Trump told reporters when asked what his response would be to those Republicans opposed to tax increases on the wealthy.
"I would love to be able to give people in a lower bracket a big break by giving up some of what I have," the president added.
He also noted that the move is just "good politics," dismissing comparisons some political experts have made to one-term Republican President George H.W. Bush, whose broken promise to Republicans that there would be "no new taxes" following his 1988 election victory has been blamed Bush's failed re-election efforts.
"Read my lips: No new taxes," Bush Sr. said during his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Subsequently, in the face of a ballooning deficit, Bush Sr. ultimately cut a deal with Democrats that raised taxes.
"A lot of people say, don't do it because of the fact that you have the Bush statement about ‘Read my lips.’ But he lost because of Ross Perot, he didn't lose because of that statement," Trump said. "I actually think it's good politics to do it where richer people give up. And it's a very small – it's like a point – but they give it up to benefit the people on lower income."
In a post on his Truth Social platform earlier Friday, Trump struck a slightly more cautious tone about the alleged concern that his willingness to increase taxes on the highest earners could spell trouble for him electorally the way it did for Bush Sr.
He complained that Democrats would point to it repeatedly in an effort to discredit him. However, Trump still contended that the elder President Bush lost because of more than just his broken tax promises, and added that while Republicans should probably not increase taxes on the wealthy, he would be okay with it if they were to do so.
"The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,' the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election," Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social.
"NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I'm OK if they do!!"
As Republicans search for avenues to extend President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts, some Republican lawmakers involved in the process have floated the idea that the nation's highest earners could see a tax increase in order to usher in cuts for lower-earners.
For his part, the president is sending signals he tends to agree.
"You know, they'll go around saying, ‘Oh, this is so terrible.’ What you're doing is you're giving up something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets save more. So it's really a redistribution," Trump told reporters when asked what his response would be to those Republicans opposed to tax increases on the wealthy.
"I would love to be able to give people in a lower bracket a big break by giving up some of what I have," the president added.
He also noted that the move is just "good politics," dismissing comparisons some political experts have made to one-term Republican President George H.W. Bush, whose broken promise to Republicans that there would be "no new taxes" following his 1988 election victory has been blamed Bush's failed re-election efforts.
"Read my lips: No new taxes," Bush Sr. said during his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Subsequently, in the face of a ballooning deficit, Bush Sr. ultimately cut a deal with Democrats that raised taxes.
"A lot of people say, don't do it because of the fact that you have the Bush statement about ‘Read my lips.’ But he lost because of Ross Perot, he didn't lose because of that statement," Trump said. "I actually think it's good politics to do it where richer people give up. And it's a very small – it's like a point – but they give it up to benefit the people on lower income."
In a post on his Truth Social platform earlier Friday, Trump struck a slightly more cautious tone about the alleged concern that his willingness to increase taxes on the highest earners could spell trouble for him electorally the way it did for Bush Sr.
He complained that Democrats would point to it repeatedly in an effort to discredit him. However, Trump still contended that the elder President Bush lost because of more than just his broken tax promises, and added that while Republicans should probably not increase taxes on the wealthy, he would be okay with it if they were to do so.
"The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,' the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election," Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social.
"NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I'm OK if they do!!"
The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested Friday at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility where three members of Congress also stormed the facility's gate, demanding they be allowed to conduct an "oversight visit."
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a top Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was arrested at the scene for trespassing, authorities said.
"The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon," Alina Habba, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, wrote on X. "He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW."
A crowd, including several lawmakers, gathered outside the HSI Newark Field Office where Baraka was being held Friday evening. The group chanted, yelled and banged on the gate, calling for Baraka's release.
Several politicians have also joined the growing calls for Baraka to be released.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., described Baraka's arrest as "disturbing, unnecessary and indicative of tactics that are undermining the safety and security of our communities, not adding to it."
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said he was "outraged by the unjust arrest." He noted that he had signed a law four years ago that banned private immigration detention centers in the state. Last week, the state defended the law before a federal appeals court.
Democrat Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called Baraka a friend who encouraged him to fight for change in his community.
"His arrest today is an example of how the federal government's overreach continues to undermine due process afforded by our Constitution," Johnson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Bob Hugin, chairman of the New Jersey Republican Party, called Baraka's actions a "stunt," noting that he had ignored repeated warnings from authorities.
"He's not a mayor – he's running for governor, and this stunt shows exactly what kind of leader he'd be: one who puts political theater ahead of public safety and the rule of law," Hugin said.
The White House also criticized Democrats over their defense of deported illegal immigrant criminals.
"As always, Democrats are prioritizing the welfare of illegal aliens over American citizens - except now they're crossing the line between meaningless political street theatre and outright breaking the law," White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital.
Earlier in the day, Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, entered ICE's Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark and were held up inside the first checkpoint, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News.
"These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk," a DHS statement to Fox News said. "Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility."
The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, DHS said.
In a press conference later, Coleman said that ICE was "out of control." McIver said the three lawmakers had waited more than two hours to gain access to the facility to conduct an oversight visit. She said all three of them were also assaulted by ICE personnel.
"There are people who are supposed to be officers, who are supposed to protect us, and they have done none of that," Mclver told reporters. "If they can treat three members of Congress like that, just imagine how they can treat people on the street each and everyday, both undocumented and people who are citizens here in this country."
Menendez, the son of disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said ICE officers at the facility performed an "act of intimidation" on Friday.
"We know what ICE has been doing in our communities. We know that the president lied and that this administration lies every day when they're saying they're going after criminals. It's not true," Menendez said through tears. "They feel no weight of the law. They feel no restraint in what they should be doing, and that was shown in broad daylight today when they not just arrested the mayor of Newark, but when they put their hands on two members of Congress."
Activists have demanded entry into the facility in recent days, saying the GEO Group, the building’s new owner, is unlawfully preventing it from being inspected.
"We’re at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances," Coleman wrote on X before Friday's events unfolded. "We’ve heard stories of what it’s like in other ICE prisons. We’re exercising our oversight authority to see for ourselves."
McIver said the "lack of transparency around what’s happening with ICE in this facility is unacceptable. People deserve dignity and we need answers."
The prison currently holds alleged killers, MS-13 gang members and child rapists, among other criminal offenders.
In a press conference on Monday, Baraka said GEO Group is "following the pattern of the president of the United States, who believes that he can just do what he wants to do and obscure the laws, national and constitutional laws, and they think they can do the same thing in the state of New Jersey and in Newark."
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the City of Newark on April 1 alleges that GEO Group failed to permit entry to safety inspectors and violated city construction code, including by conducting electrical and plumbing renovations without proper oversight.
The Department of Homeland Security said the allegations by Newark politicians that Delaney does not have the proper permitting is false.
"We have valid permits and inspection from plumbing, electricity to fire codes has been cleared," the agency said.
Fox News Digital's Max Bacall contributed to this report.
The media’s pile-on of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reached the point where both Republicans and Democrats were lamenting the rhetorical blows landing on the hulking Pittsburgh-area lawmaker by Friday.
"This is so blatantly coordinated," remarked media observer and Fox News contributor Joe Concha, who shared a link in his X post to a Politico report claiming an internal Democratic poll found Fetterman’s popularity faltering in his part of the Keystone State.
The report claimed Fetterman had now fallen below 50% in Democratic voter support in the Steel City, just a few miles west of Braddock, where he was previously mayor.
Fox News Digital cannot verify the veracity of the poll's findings.
"The only reason for the coordinated campaign against Senator John Fetterman is his unapologetic pro-Israel politics," wrote Torres, a Bronx Democrat who also bucks his party on Israel, but is also considered a high-profile progressive.
"Let’s call it what it is. As someone who has struggled with depression my whole adult life, I can tell you that if you truly care about someone’s mental health, leaking hit pieces against them is a strange way of showing it."
Swing-state Pennsylvania has a history of politically opposed senators forging close relationships — such as Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey Jr. for many years.
That trend continued Friday when Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., stuck up for Fetterman, saying in a statement that "it’s time to put politics aside and stop these vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health."
"While we have many differences, we are both committed to working together to achieve results for the people of Pennsylvania and make their lives better," McCormick wrote.
The Republican called the Democrat "authentic, decent, principled and a fighter," and ripped the "disgraceful smears" he has seen in recent times.
Philadelphia radio host Nick Kayal remarked on X that he’s seen more reports critical of Fetterman’s health in four days than were seen in the press about former President Joe Biden in four years.
"Wonder why," he asked rhetorically.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, added that "the media ought to lay off Senator Fetterman."
A former UPenn student who spoke out on national media against the anti-Semitic protests on campus also came to Fetterman’s defense, slamming the "hit pieces" as of late.
"If you’re a Democrat and oppose the woke mob, you’re enemy #1 of the legacy media," wrote Eyal Yakoby, who also posted a previous photo he took with Fetterman.
Conservative former Pittsburgh news anchor and radio host Wendy Bell remarked on X that the Fetterman attacks are "so weird."
"The New York Magazine hit piece on John Fetterman didn’t hit enough to stick the landing. Now it’s the AP’s turn. This is journalism? No, this is propaganda," Bell wrote.
"The Code Red has been issued on Fetterman," Concha followed up in another X post.
"And of course, our wonderful media follows that order as if Col. Jessup ordered it himself," he said, referring to Jack Nicholson’s crooked Marine Corps officer character in 1992's "A Few Good Men."
Later on Friday, more Republicans came to Fetterman's defense, including Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
"John Fetterman and I have our differences, but he’s a decent and genuine guy," Cotton wrote.
"The radical left is smearing him with dishonest, vicious attacks because he’s pro-Israel and they only want reliable anti-Israel politicians. Disgraceful."
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., also pushed back on the media, calling Fetterman a "tremendous friend and colleague."
"It’s a complete disgrace what agenda-driven members of the media and his own party are doing to attack him, all because he dares to be an independent thinker and voice. Proud to stand with John," she wrote.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a top Democratic gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, was arrested on Friday for trespassing at an ICE holding facility in Newark during a protest.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called the incident, which took place at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center, a "beyond bizarre political stunt" that "puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk."
The prison currently holds alleged killers, MS-13 gang members and accused child rapists, among other criminal offenders.
U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced that Baraka, one of the leading Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, was arrested on Friday for his involvement in the incident.
"The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon," said Habba. "He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW."
Local outlet Insider NJ reported that a spokesperson for Baraka’s campaign confirmed the arrest, saying that he "was arrested and detained by ICE" and that he was being transported to the Homeland Security Investigations Newark field office.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, were also involved in the incident and rushed through the facility’s gates, demanding they be allowed to conduct an "oversight visit."
The lawmakers were held up at the first checkpoint.
Baraka, who has been protesting the facility’s opening for months, was a regular presence at protests outside the building throughout the week.
Baraka has said that using Delaney Hall for processing people in the country illegally goes against state and local law, leading the city to file a lawsuit in the Essex County Superior Court at the end of March.
In a press conference on Monday, Baraka said that GEO Group, the private company running the prison, is "following the pattern of the president of the United States who believes that he can just do what he wants to do and obscure the laws, national and constitutional laws, and they think they can do the same thing in the state of New Jersey and in Newark."
Commenting on the arrest, New Jersey Sen. Jon Bramnick, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News that "it doesn’t really surprise me because he's been fighting the opening of Delaney Hall since it opened" and that the mayor "wasn’t very pleased with ICE taking over Delaney Hall."
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who is also a candidate for governor, condemned the arrest, calling it an "absolute outrage."
Sherill said that Baraka "needs to be released immediately."
Another Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Steven Fulop, who is mayor of Jersey City, also condemned the arrest, saying, "We’re watching lines get crossed in real time" and that "this is a dangerous precedent."
"In Newark, the airport is in the midst of an unprecedented & dangerous meltdown, the public schools are failing students & families, and there is crime in the streets every day. And yet its Mayor and leading Democrat candidate for Governor, [Ras Baraka], is busy shilling for illegal Immigrants at an ICE detention center with a cheap publicity stunt. Shameful," he posted on X.
The Trump White House is taking aim at Minnesota leaders for not honoring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, as an illegal immigrant charged in a criminal vehicular homicide case is not yet in custody.
Ecuadorian national German Adriano Llangari Inga is facing numerous felony and misdemeanor charges for drunk driving last August, which resulted in a crash killing Victoria Eileen Harwell, and hurting her teenage daughter and sister, according to local media outlets.
"An illegal immigrant drove drunk, killed an innocent mother, and is now on the run because Democrats didn't do their most important job: protect their constituents," Alex Pfeiffer, White House Principal Deputy Communications Director, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
"This is precisely why the Trump Administration is taking action to hold these so-called 'sanctuary' jurisdictions accountable," he added.
"U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on German Llangari Inga, 35, of Ecuador, with the Hennepin County Jail, Minnesota, Aug. 4, 2024, after he was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide," an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The Hennepin County Jail did not honor the detainer and released Llangari without notification to ICE Aug. 6, 2024, and he remains at large. Llangari initially entered the United States in June 2016, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, issued an order of expedited removal and placed into removal proceedings."
The Sheriff's Department said that they were following the rules put forth by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on immigration-related matters.
"As per guidance from the MN Attorney General’s Office, HCSO cannot lawfully hold individuals in custody based solely on an administrative detainer issued by the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If a judicially-signed warrant is presented to HCSO, ICE will be notified when it becomes the holding agency. In the absence of such a warrant, individuals must be released once all criminal charges or holds have been resolved. HCSO is committed to working with federal and local partners and honoring the constitutional rights of all individuals."
Fox News Digital contacted Mayor Jacob Frey’s office, the Minneapolis Police Department, and Ellison’s office for comment.
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order last month, cracking down on "sanctuary jurisdictions" that could be at risk of losing federal funding if they do not make changes to their immigration policies, particularly with how certain cities interact with federal law enforcement on immigration cases.
"The term ‘sanctuary city’ is very amorphous, and that's part of the problem in Trump's use of it," Frey told MPR News in an interview last month.
"In Minneapolis, we do not enforce federal immigration law, because that's not our job. We have a separation ordinance in our city that says that our police and our public officials will not collect information as to whether an individual is documented or not. And because we don't collect any information, our response when Trump or others come asking is very simple: We don't have any."
In addition to Frey, several Democratic Minnesota officials defended the state's sanctuary laws, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who said, "If you are an undocumented immigrant, please know that you are in my thoughts and that I will keep fighting."
"With President Trump’s immigration policies targeting sanctuary cities like Minneapolis, the fear of ICE raids is very real, and our communities are on high alert," Minnesota State Sen. Omar Fateh said in January after Trump was sworn in. "Now is the time for bold leadership that stands firm in our progressive values and puts our communities first."
The Trump administration plans to bring white Afrikaners from South Africa to the United States as refugees starting next week after saying they are "victims of unjust racial discrimination."
The arrival of more than two dozen Afrikaners, likely on Monday, comes as the administration has suspended most refugee resettlement programs.
"What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created," Stephen Miller told reporters on Friday. "This is persecution based on a protected characteristic — in this case, race. This is race-based persecution."
The South African government has approved legislation which, under some circumstances, allows for expropriation of land without compensation.
He said the first wave of refugees would be part of a "much larger-scale relocation effort."
The Afrikaners are expected to be met by a government delegation, including the deputy Secretary of State and officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.
Amid his immigration crackdown, Trump said in January the U.S. will only admit refugees who "can fully and appropriately assimilate."
The State Department said: "The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria has been conducting interviews and processing pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order on Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa. The Department of State is prioritizing consideration for U.S. refugee resettlement of Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination."
Afrikaners are mainly descended from early Dutch settlers in South Africa.
South Africa’s government has criticized the Trump administration’s effort, saying it doesn’t recognize the country’s history of colonialism and apartheid.
The refugees will be sent to states like Minnesota, Idaho and Alabama.
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio expelled the South African ambassador in the U.S., calling him a "race-baiting" politician who hates America and President Donald Trump after he said the commander-in-chief is leading a global white supremacist movement.
Rubio also boycotted a G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg in March.
South Africa's foreign ministry has said the accusations of racial discrimination against Afrikaners are "unfounded."
"It is most regrettable that it appears that the resettlement of South Africans to the United States under the guise of being ‘refugees’ is entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy; a country which has in fact suffered true persecution under apartheid rule and has worked tirelessly to prevent such levels of discrimination from ever occurring again," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
FIRST ON FOX: A Democrat running for Congress in New Jersey who has been positioning herself as a moderate to unseat the sitting Republican in a pro-Trump district, has deleted several social media posts promoting progressive candidates and causes.
Democrat Rebecca Bennett, who is running in the Democratic primary to unseat GOP Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, is a Navy veteran and current member of the Air National Guard who has been labeled by local media as a "moderate" in a race the Cook Political Report ranks as "Lean Republican."
A Fox News Digital review of Bennett’s X account, which was created in July 2011 and recently converted from @BigRedBecks to @RebeccaForNJ07, shows several deleted posts that seemingly drift away from the "moderate" label, including praise of progressive Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren…READ MORE
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Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Discussions over a potential tax hike for ultra-wealthy Americans are threatening to foment a civil war among Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Some GOP lawmakers, as well as conservative groups that are frequently in touch with congressional Republicans, have been loudly voicing opposition to any tax increases.
Meanwhile President Donald Trump and his allies are signaling that the idea could be a way to pay for significant tax breaks targeting middle and working-class Americans.
"Raising taxes on one bracket is a slippery slope. What will stop future tax increases on middle-income earners as the federal government accumulates more and more debt?" a senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital. "Republicans certainly shouldn’t be the party leading this effort."
But the idea found support among more populist Trump allies like House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md.
"Personally, I’ve always believed that if we can’t find spending reductions elsewhere, we should look at restoring the [pre-2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)] tax bracket on million dollar income to help pay for the President’s agenda," Harris wrote on X.
It comes after Trump signaled to GOP leaders that he was open to raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy to offset the cost of new policies eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and retirees' social security.
A source familiar with the president's thinking told Fox News Digital that to accomplish those goals, as well as preserving Medicaid for millions, Trump is considering a new top income tax bracket of 39.6% for single taxpayers making $2.5 million or more per year.
The TCJA lowered the tax rate for the top income bracket — currently $609,350 for single filers — to 37%, a cut that's expiring at the end of this year.
Trump himself toyed with the idea publicly on Truth Social Friday morning, though made clear he saw the potential drawbacks.
"The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election," Trump posted, referencing ill-fated comments by late former President George H.W. Bush.
"NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!"
Discussions about raising taxes have traditionally been anathema to mainstream Republican beliefs.
But it's now a direction the GOP will have to contend with as Trump continues to bring more middle- and working-class people into the party base – but disagreements on the wisdom of such a move remain.
"'Tax the rich' is a tired slogan with no evidence of spurring economic growth, as higher taxes on any group hinder innovation and investment," Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital on Friday.
"We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. Ultimately, I don't think this will even happen. We must focus on cutting spending and downsizing government, not raising taxes."
Several Republicans told Fox News Digital late last month that they were wary of raising taxes – including Reps. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., and Tim Moore, R-N.C. Spokespeople for both said their opinions are unchanged as of Friday morning.
"When we passed what was called the Tax Cuts Jobs Act of 2017, we did lower taxes for everybody. We reduced the tax rates. We condensed the brackets," Kustoff said. "And what we saw is, that lifted everybody. And the U.S. Treasury still saw revenues continue to grow. So I don't want to see taxes raised on anybody."
Moore told Fox News Digital, "I do not support any tax increases. I think that we do not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem."
Moreover, nearly 200 past and present House Republicans signed onto a pledge to oppose all tax increases, run by think tank Americans For Tax Reform.
But another Republican, Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital that day, "I would want to see some numbers behind it and how it would have an effect on the economy."
"What I've heard from people in the upper tax brackets is, you know, they're willing to pay more as long as they know that it's paying the debt down. They don't want to see it go towards more spending," Stutzman said.
It's one of several ongoing debates over how to advance Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to advance a massive piece of fiscal policy legislation while sidelining the minority by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.
Republicans are working to use the maneuver to advance Trump's priorities on border security, immigration, energy, national defense and taxes, as well as raising the debt ceiling.
On taxes, expected to be the costliest portion, Republicans want to extend Trump's 2017 TCJA cuts expiring in 2026 as well as implement his aforementioned newer policies.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a longtime Trump ally, told Fox Business' Stuart Varney on Friday, "We are not going to do tax increases."
But it's not clear how many of those Republicans will change their minds if Trump begins exerting pressure on such tax hikes.
Meanwhile, conservative groups like The Heritage Foundation and Americans For Prosperity (AFP) are already exerting pressure on Capitol Hill to resist any tax hikes.
"Republicans have a chance to lock in pro-growth tax policy and reignite prosperity for a generation of Americans – something every conservative can agree on. There is no appetite anywhere for raising taxes on anyone," AFP Chief Government Affairs Officer Brent Gardner told Fox News Digital.
"The sooner Republicans can get back to this broad consensus – keeping taxes low, while cutting wasteful spending – the sooner they’ll all start to see the benefits, both economically and politically."
The House Ways & Means Committee is expected to meet on Tuesday to advance the tax portion of the package, so its details – including the potential tax hike – will be released in the coming days.
Republican leaders hope to have a bill passed in the House of Representatives by around Memorial Day, with a final bill on Trump's desk by the Fourth of July.
With razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, the GOP can afford precious little dissent if they are going to meet their goals.
President Donald Trump on Friday morning said that an "80% Tariff on China seems right!" adding on Truth Social that the final number would be up to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
An 80% tariff on Chinese goods coming into the U.S. would be nearly half of the current 145% tariff on the Asian country.
Minutes earlier, he posted: "CHINA SHOULD OPEN UP ITS MARKET TO USA — WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!"
It was the first time the president has put out a specific number, after previously suggesting the tariff could be lowered.
Trump’s suggested lower tariffs come ahead of weekend talks between Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer and Chinese economic tsar He Lifeng in Switzerland.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing Friday, "That was a number the president threw out there, and we'll see what happens this weekend," adding that Trump wouldn’t unilaterally lower the tariff and China would be required to make "concessions."
Earlier this week, Trump said that China is eager to make a deal with the U.S.
"Scott's going to be going to Switzerland, meeting with China," Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House. "And you know, they very much want to make a deal. We can all play games. Who made the first call, who didn't make them? It doesn't matter. Only matters what happens in that room. But I will tell you that China very much wants to make a deal. We'll see how that works out."
The Trump administration announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries on April 2, following criticism that other countries' trade practices are unfair towards the U.S.
The administration later adjusted its initial proposal and announced on April 9 it would immediately impose a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, while reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries for 90 days to a baseline of 10%. China responded by raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.
Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
California’s progressive Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom posted an ad bragging about California’s economy and knocking President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but then quickly deleted it after an X user pointed out that the video used footage from Ukraine and Estonia rather than California.
The footage has since been replaced with video shot in America.
The governor, a vocal Trump critic who has been rumored to have presidential aspirations, released the ad this week. In the 30-second clip, Newsom claimed that Trump’s tariffs "punish families and risk ending America’s run as the world’s greatest economy."
He also touted California’s economic prowess, bragging that the state is now the fourth-largest economy in the world.
While Newsom brags about California innovation and manufacturing, the ad plays footage of what looks like a high-tech office and a large warehouse. One X user was quick to point out, however, that the footage used in the ad was actually shot in Ukraine and Estonia, not California.
Another X user, Brandon Phillips, a Georgia GOP operative, quipped, "Minor detail!" in response to parts of the California ad actually being shot in Eastern Europe.
A simple internet search shows that the warehouse imagery was created in Ukraine by a Ukrainian photographer and videographer named "Artie Medvedev."
Meanwhile, the office footage used in the ad was made by a company called "Gorodenkoff Productions," which is based in Tallinn, Estonia.
Newsom's office did not respond to Fos News Digital’s request for comment. However, his team ended up removing the video with Ukrainian and Estonian footage, replacing it with one that lacked the foreign footage noticed by X users.
Newsom has been heavily criticized for allegedly prioritizing his political ambitions above his role as governor. A new survey conducted by UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times found that 54% of California registered voters believe Newsom is more focused on his personal presidential ambitions than solving the ongoing problems at home in the Golden State.
Trump has said he would "love" Newsom to launch a White House bid for the Democrats, but said the governor's response to wildfires and other issues would "pretty much put him out of the race."
The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested Friday at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility where three members of Congress also stormed the facility's gate, demanding they be allowed to conduct an "oversight visit."
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the scene for trespassing, authorities said.
"The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon," Alina Habba, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, wrote on X. "He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW."
Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, entered ICE's Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark and were held up inside the first checkpoint, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News.
"These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk," a DHS statement to Fox News said. "Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility. This is an evolving situation."
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called for Baraka to be released, while describing his arrest as "disturbing, unnecessary and indicative of tactics that are undermining the safety and security of our communities, not adding to it."
"Law enforcement officers should have deescalated this situation. Mayor Baraka should be immediately released," he wrote on social media. "Moreover, the Trump administration’s decision to reopen Delaney Hall, a private, for-profit prison in our community, should have never gone forward. New Jersey deserves better and the Trump administration continues to take actions to undermine the wellbeing of our residents."
The lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, DHS said.
In a press conference later, Coleman said ICE was "out of control." McIver said the three lawmakers waited more than two hours to gain access to the facility to conduct an oversight visit. She said all three of them were also assaulted by ICE personnel.
"There are people who are supposed to be officers, who are supposed to protect us and they have done none of that," Mclver told reporters. "If they can treat three members of Congress like that, just imagine how they can treat people on the street each and everyday, both undocumented and people who are citizens here in this country."
Menendez, the son of disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said ICE officers at the facility performed an "act of intimidation" on Friday.
"We know what ICE has been doing in our communities. We know that the president lied and that this administration lies everyday when they're saying they're going after criminals. It's not true," Menendez said through tears. "They feel no weight of the law. They feel no restraint in what they should be doing and that was shown in broad daylight today when they not just arrested the mayor of Newark, but when they put their hands on two members of Congress."
Activists have demanded entry into the facility in recent days, saying the GEO Group, the building’s new owner, is unlawfully preventing it from being inspected.
"We’re at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances," Coleman wrote on X before Friday's events unfolded. "We’ve heard stories of what it’s like in other ICE prisons. We’re exercising our oversight authority to see for ourselves."
McIver said the "lack of transparency around what’s happening with ICE in this facility is unacceptable. People deserve dignity and we need answers."
The prison currently holds alleged killers, MS-13 gang members, child rapists, among other criminal offenders.
In a press conference on Monday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said GEO Group is "following the pattern of the president of the United States who believes that he can just do what he wants to do and obscure the laws, national and constitutional laws, and they think they can do the same thing in the state of New Jersey and in Newark."
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the City of Newark on April 1 alleges that GEO Group failed to permit entry to safety inspectors and violated city construction code, including by conducting electrical and plumbing renovations without proper oversight.
The Department of Homeland Security said the allegations by Newark politicians that Delaney does not have the proper permitting is false.
"We have valid permits and inspection from plumbing, electricity to fire codes has been cleared," the agency said.
Fox News Digital's Max Bacall contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is "determined to continue with a "10% baseline tariff" against all countries despite his announcement this week of a trade deal with the United Kingdom, the White House said Friday.
"The president is committed to the 10% baseline tariff, not just for the United Kingdom, but for his trade negotiations with all other countries as well," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
"Permanently? Even after the deals are done. Like, that is going to remain?" Leavitt was asked by Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
"The president is determined to continue with that 10% baseline tariff," Leavitt responded.
Trump announced a new trade deal Thursday with the U.K., calling it "an incredible day for America."
Trump told reporters at the White House that "today’s agreement with the U.K. is the first in a series of agreements on trade that my administration has been negotiating over the past four weeks."
"With this deal, the U.K. joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade.
"They’ll also be fast-tracking American goods through their customs process so our exports go to a very, very quick form of approval," the president added, noting that "The final details are being written up in the coming weeks."
As of April 5, the U.S. has imposed a 10% reciprocal tariff on imports from the U.K.
The Trump administration’s 25% global tariff on cars took effect on April 3, impacting all imported vehicles, even from traditional U.S. allies, including the U.K. A 25% tariff on U.S. imports of steel, aluminum and derivative products took effect on March 12.
Prior to April 2025, most U.K. goods exported to the U.S. were subject to standard, relatively low tariffs, mostly ranging from 0 to 2.5%, with higher rates only for specific products like steel, aluminum, and some vehicles. The U.K., meanwhile, imposed tariffs on U.S. imports based on the World Trade Organization’s "Most Favored Nation" or MFN rules.
The U.K.’s average MFN applied tariff rate was 3.8% in 2023, according to the most recent data available. The UK has some high tariffs that affect U.S. exports, such as rates of up to 25% for some fish and seafood products, 10% for trucks, 10% for passenger vehicles, and up to 6.5% for certain mineral or chemical fertilizers.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to establish a national center for homeless veterans with redirected funds previously spent on services for illegal aliens, Fox News Digital has learned.
The president’s order directs the secretary of veterans affairs to establish the National Center for Warrior Independence on the Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles.
Los Angeles has approximately 3,000 homeless veterans — more than any other city in the country, and accounting for about 10% of all homeless veterans in America, according to the White House.
"The new National Center for Warrior Independence will help them and other veterans like them rebuild their lives," the White House said.
The center will allow veterans from around the nation to seek and receive care, benefits and services "to which they are entitled," the White House said.
The order redirects funds previously spent on housing or other services for illegal aliens to constructing, establishing and maintaining the new center.
"The Center will promote self-sufficiency through housing, substance abuse treatment, and support for productive work for the veterans housed there," the White House explained.
It said the goal is to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans at the center by 2028.
The order also directs the secretary of housing and urban development to use vouchers to support homeless veterans and instructs the secretary of veterans affairs to "restore accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)."
The order also instructs the VA to take action against individuals who have committed misconduct and to investigate and rectify the Biden administration’s decision to "rehire and reinstate back pay for employees previously fired for misconduct."
The order also ensures that veterans will have access to increased options for care, benefits and services — including reduced wait times for Veterans Health Administration appointments through options such as expanded hours, weekend appointments and virtual healthcare.
The order also directs a feasibility study at the Manchester VA Medical Center to expand services to support a full-service medical center in New Hampshire.
"President Trump strongly believes that every veteran deserves our gratitude, and that the federal government should treat veterans like the heroes they are," the White House said.
The order comes a week after the White House announced that Trump will host a military parade on June 14 to honor military veterans and active-duty service members and commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
Americans lambasted President George H. W. Bush for infamously vowing on stage at the 1988 Republican National Convention not to raise taxes on Americans, then supporting a tax hike as president two years later.
History could repeat itself as President Donald Trump this week signaled his support for congressional Republicans raising taxes to accomplish the ambitious goals of his "big, beautiful bill," according to experts.
"My opponent won't rule out raising taxes, but I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no. And they'll push and I'll say no. And they'll push again, and I'll say to them: ‘Read my lips: no new taxes,’" then-Vice President Bush vowed at the 1988 convention, before raising taxes two years later with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.
While acknowledging the political backlash his fellow Republican faced, Trump signaled in a Truth Social post on Friday his own willingness to raise taxes on Americans, following reports confirmed by Fox News Digital that the president is considering raising the tax rate on individuals making $2.5 million or more by 2.6%, from 37% to 39.6%.
"The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election. NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!" Trump said.
Ross Perot, the late billionaire Texas businessman and philanthropist, ran an independent campaign as a third-party candidate in the 1992 presidential election, winning an historic 19% of the popular vote.
As Trump suggested, the political fallout of raising taxes contributed to Bush losing re-election to President Bill Clinton in 1992. Democrats slammed Bush in campaign ads for walking back his word as conservative Republicans criticized the president for being out of step with the party's traditional tax policies.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich led Republican criticism of Bush's tax hike proposal, and Gingrich has urged Trump to stand down on raising taxes since rumors the administration was floating a small tax hike first swirled.
Gingrich recently told Larry Kudlow on FOX Business that Trump is a Ronald Reagan Republican, not a Bush Republican, and raising taxes would be an "act of destruction."
"It would absolutely shatter his coalition," Gingrich said. "It would mean the entire conservative movement would rise in rebellion, and it would mean every small business in the country would start recalculating who they are going to lay off, if they are even going to stay in business. It would make no sense at all."
Negotiations are ongoing among House Republicans to finalize Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which is expected to include an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts and fulfill campaign promises, including no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security.
Republican politicians and pundits have joined Gingrich's critique of Trump's potential tax hike, arguing Trump is repeating the same mistakes as Bush.
"[House] Speaker [Mike] Johnson and Republican members of Congress must have experienced collective déjà vu when President Trump urged Congress to raise taxes," New England College President Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and political historian, told Fox News Digital.
"Harkening back to the infamous 'Read my lips' pledge made by George H. W. Bush at the 1988 GOP Convention, today's Republicans must be nervous at the president's change on what is a sacrosanct issue for the party — tax cuts. Interestingly, George H. W. Bush's decision to break his pledge was surrounded by notably different circumstances," Lesperance added.
But Lesperance reminded Republicans, who currently control the House and Senate, that Democrats could gain an edge in the 2026 midterms if tax hikes prove to be as unpopular among Republicans as they were in 1992.
"Facing a Democratically controlled Congress, Bush reneged on his pledge as a compromise to reduce the deficit and pass the 1990 budget agreement. Bush's decision to compromise on taxes is widely credited with costing him his bid for re-election. As Speaker Johnson and Republican members of Congress look ahead to midterm elections, there must be collective worry that President Trump's shifting position on taxes will cost them at the polls," Lesperance said.
Longtime Republican consultant David Carney, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, said the move by Bush "was probably the single most detrimental thing to his re-election."
Carney, who served in the elder Bush’s White House and worked on his presidential campaigns, told Fox News "the deal he cut was excellent. He cut spending, balanced out the taxes."
But Carney emphasized "all that’s inside baseball and the reality is it was a great opportunity for people from the right and the left to make hay out of it, and it was absolutely hurtful."
However, fiscal conservatives remain optimistic that Trump won't raise taxes, despite the president softening to the idea on social media on Friday morning.
"President Trump campaigned on not raising taxes, and we are confident that’s exactly what he’ll do," Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital.
When reached for comment about the Bush comparison, the White House pointed to press secretary Karoline Leavitt's comments during the White House briefing on Friday.
"The president wants tax cuts, the largest tax cuts in history," Leavitt said. "He wants to extend his historic tax cuts from 2017, and he wants to see all the other tax priorities," including no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security.
"The president has said he himself personally would not mind paying a little bit more to help the poor and the middle class and the working class in this country. I think, frankly, that's a very honorable position. But again, these negotiations are ongoing on Capitol Hill, and the president will weigh in when he feels necessary," she added.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Transgender troops have between 30 and 60 days to self-separate from the military after a court order allowed the ban on their service to move forward, according to a Thursday memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"After a SCOTUS victory for @POTUS, TRANS is out at the DOD," Hegseth wrote on X, along with a video announcing the new deadline.
Approximately 1,000 service members have self–identified as having gender dysphoria and will begin the voluntary separation process, according to the Pentagon.
Active duty service members have until June 6, one month after the court’s ruling, to leave the military. Reservists have until July 7.
"The Secretary is encouraged by the Supreme Court's order staying the lower court's injunction, allowing the Department of Defense to carry out its policies associated with ‘Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,’" Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement celebrating the ruling and announcing the new timeline.
"In accordance with policy now reinstated, service members who have a current diagnosis or history of or exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria may elect to separate voluntarily," Hegseth said, adding that if they chose not to do so by the deadline, they would be removed "involuntarily, if necessary."
The high court ruling was a victory for the White House, even as the justices did not address the underlying merits of the case or President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 executive order banning transgender service members from the U.S. military.
A lower court had issued an injunction on the policy. The Trump administration argued that delaying the policy could pose a threat to U.S. military readiness.
Trump officials have argued that the transgender military policy "furthers the government’s important interests in military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, and avoiding disproportionate costs."
An executive order signed by Trump in January ordered Hegseth to update medical standards to ensure they "prioritize readiness and lethality" and take action to "end the use of invented and identification-based pronouns" within the DOD.
It says that expressing a "gender identity" different from an individual’s sex at birth does not meet military standards.
A categorical ban on transgender service members was lifted in 2014 under then-President Barack Obama.
Between Jan. 1, 2016, and May 14, 2021, the DOD reportedly spent approximately $15 million on providing transgender treatments (surgical and nonsurgical) to 1,892 active-duty service members, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The transgender ban is part of a broader push by the new Pentagon leadership to root out any policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Last month, Hegseth announced that "99.9%" of DEI-related policies had been eliminated at the Defense Department, as he raised standards for fitness tests and moved to ensure the combat fitness test held men and women to the same standards.
Fox News' Breanne Deppisch and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
While President Donald Trump wants to gut the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are seeking to elevate FEMA to a Cabinet-level agency.
FEMA is currently housed under the Department of Homeland Security, but the House effort would solidify FEMA as its own separate agency, according to a discussion draft of the legislation released Thursday.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and committee ranking member Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., are spearheading the legislation.
Other proposals included in the draft legislation are instructing the Office of Management and Budget to create a centralized website tracking disaster assistance recovery across the federal government, and allowing FEMA to foot the bill for repairs to homes suffering damage in disasters.
Currently, FEMA only covers expenses that make a home livable following disasters.
"By releasing this discussion draft legislation, we hope to engage our colleagues and stakeholders on comprehensive FEMA reform," Graves said in a Thursday statement. "This draft bill includes substantive changes that will transform FEMA and our emergency programs to be much more state and locally driven – not micro-managed into ineffectiveness by the federal government."
While Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have voiced support for eradicating FEMA, the former acting administrator of FEMA, Cameron Hamilton, warned against gutting the agency on Wednesday.
"I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency," Hamilton told lawmakers on the House Appropriations committee on Wednesday.
"Having said that, I’m not in a position to make a decision," Hamilton said. "That is a conversation that should be had between the president of the United States and this governing body."
However, Hamilton, who previously served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy with SEAL Team 8 and started leading FEMA in January, was ousted from his post Thursday.
FEMA confirmed to Fox News Digital Thursday that Hamilton was no longer with the agency.
Days after his inauguration in January, Trump visited North Carolina to oversee the state's efforts to recover from Hurricane Helene, more than 120 days after the storm struck the state. On the trip, Trump floated plans to gut FEMA, which oversaw the disaster relief efforts.
"I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA," Trump told reporters in North Carolina. "I think, frankly, FEMA is not good."
The executive order established a review council to evaluate potential reforms to FEMA, including whether the agency’s bureaucracy restricts its ability to appropriately respond to disasters. Likewise, Trump’s budget proposal includes plans to slash nearly $650 million in FEMA grants.
On Tuesday, Noem told lawmakers that Trump stands by his statements that FEMA’s current setup should be quashed.
"He believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people, and that FEMA as it exists today should be eliminated," Noem said.
Sparks are flying over taxes that primarily affect Republicans representing districts in Democrat-controlled states, sending tensions skyrocketing as GOP lawmakers negotiate President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill."
The fight more specifically is about state and local tax deductions, colloquially known as SALT.
Republican lawmakers representing high-cost-of-living areas outside big cities had been pushing leaders to raise the current cap on SALT deductions – $10,000 for both single filers and married couples – in Trump's bill.
However, on Thursday night, leaders of the House's SALT Caucus emphatically rejected what they said was an offer from GOP leaders to raise that deduction to $30,000.
"We've negotiated in good faith on SALT from the start— fighting for the taxpayers we represent in New York. Yet with no notice or agreement, the Speaker and the House Ways and Means Committee unilaterally proposed a flat $30,000 SALT cap — an amount they already knew would fall short of earning our support," the statement said.
"It's not just insulting — it risks derailing President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. New Yorkers already send far more to Washington than we get back — unlike many so-called ‘low-tax’ states that depend heavily on federal largesse. A higher SALT cap isn't a luxury. It's a matter of fairness. We reject this offer."
The statement was signed by Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.
However, not all of their delegation is on board.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., whose district spans a sliver of south Brooklyn and all of Staten Island, told Fox News Digital first that she could support a $30,000 cap.
"Everyone needs to advocate for the needs of their district. Tripling the deduction to $30,000 will provide much-needed relief for the middle-class and cover 98% of the families in my district," she said.
However, a spokesperson for Johnson pointed out that there was no commitment made on any number.
Press secretary Athina Lawson wrote on X alongside a report that Johnson "acknowledged" the $30,000 number, "To add vital, missing context: What the Speaker actually said is this is one number among others in ongoing discussions amongst members."
She referenced comments Johnson made to reporters on Thursday when asked about the figure. "I’ve heard that number, and I’ve heard others as well."
"It’s still an ongoing discussion amongst the members," Johnson said. "I’m not going to handicap it because I’m not sure exactly what that is, but there’s a lot of analysis that’s going into it."
The Republican majorities in the House and Senate are working on advancing Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to move a massive piece of legislation without the opposing party's input, provided it deals with budgetary and other fiscal matters.
It is a massive effort across multiple committees of jurisdiction.
The Ways & Means Committee, the House's tax-writing panel, is expected to unveil its portion of the bill within days.
A meeting to advance that legislation is expected Tuesday afternoon, people familiar with the planning told Fox News Digital.
Malliotakis is the only member of the committee who is also a member of the SALT Caucus.
Republicans in California, New York and New Jersey have been pushing for the reconciliation bill to lift the SALT deduction cap, which was first implemented in Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Some lawmakers have proposed lifting the cap to as high as $100,000, which Republicans in other areas have largely rejected.
The blue state Republicans pushing for a larger deduction have argued the issue is critical for their constituents.
They are also the most vulnerable lawmakers in the House GOP Conference, and their seats are key to Republicans holding onto their slim majority.
Republicans in favor of raising the SALT deduction have also pointed out that while it benefits people in high-cost-of-living areas outside big cities, it is those states that send more tax dollars back to Washington for programs that ultimately benefit the entire country.
However, others in conservative circles have pushed back on their efforts.
"The Republican margin is so small in the House that a handful of New England Republicans have a lot of sway over this bill and are pushing to raise that deduction," said Marc Short, an alumnus of Trump's first administration who played a key role in the 2017 tax negotiations.
"I think from a tax perspective, what's unfair about that is you're basically taking much of middle America that live in states that are better governed and asking them to subsidize the residents in states that are poorly managed and continue to generate huge deficits."
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump's Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, has proposed a 15% workforce reduction with a goal of cutting 80,000 jobs at the VA.
Retired Lt. Col. Jim Whaley, CEO of Mission Roll Call, a veteran advocacy non-profit, said such VA reform is necessary to improve veterans' lives across the United States.
Whaley told Fox News Digital that veterans want to see less bureaucracy at the VA and more "community care" to cut wait times and increase services at local VA hospitals, but "if it was easy, somebody would have solved it."
"Every American and politician, from both sides of the aisle, can agree that we want to make sure we take care of our veterans," Whaley said. "We just got out of over 20 years of war, so there are a lot of veterans and their families that need help. We want to make sure that every dollar that the American taxpayer is paying to support the VA is spent wisely, and that veterans are getting the care that they need. And more importantly, that they're getting the care when they need it, where they need it and how they need it."
The VA serves only half of U.S. veterans. While Whaley said Collins is trying to reach the other 50% through TV and podcast appearances, he encouraged more transparency about the VA's services to reach the other half of veterans who still need care.
"One hundred days into the second Trump administration, and VA is no longer content with poor results. Under President Trump’s leadership, we have already stripped away many of the costly distractions that were coming between VA beneficiaries and the benefits they have earned. And we’re looking to make even more historic reforms to better serve our veterans," Collins said.
Trump and Collins have faced controversy in the media and among Democrats for cutting VA jobs and for their efforts to overhaul the department. Whaley, whose organization conducts veteran polling, said more than half of veterans are worried about VA cuts.
"When all you hear is about the cuts versus what the philosophy is behind why you're making those changes in an organization, there's going to be fear. Change is hard. It's important that the VA stays as transparent as possible and reports on what is being done and what improvements are being made," Whaley said.
However, Whatley, a veteran himself, said all veterans want to see an improved VA.
"They want to see services improve, they want to see wait times reduced. As time goes on and Veterans Affairs communicate more and more with veterans, they will know a little bit about what's going on, and they'll be a little less anxious about it. I think it's all about making sure that veterans are getting the news, making sure they understand why they're making these cuts."
Whaley encouraged Collins and the VA to include more veterans in the conversations surrounding the VA's reform by listening to families and caregivers to learn how to best invest in veteran care.
"Veteran affairs are very important to recruitment issues, and that, of course, affects national security. So they're not all separate, it all wraps together. When a veteran gets out of the service after a few years of serving their country, we have to make sure that the transition to the civilian world and finding a job and plugging into the community goes smoothly, because if we don't, then we have an issue," Whaley said.
"We need to get the number of suicides as close to zero as possible. That's the number one priority," Whaley said, adding that community care is also a top priority, so veterans don't have to drive long distances and wait a long time to get the services they need.
"We need to make sure that the Department of Defense and the VA are working together when veterans are transitioning out of the military to make sure they're plugged into the VA and that the transition goes well. Because the fact of the matter is, the majority of suicides among veterans are from veterans that have recently transitioned to the civilian world."
The morning after his election, Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV and the first American pontiff in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history — presided over his first Mass.
In a nod to his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, Leo pledged to align himself with "ordinary people" and pointed to a loss of religious faith for contributing to "appalling violations of human dignity."
"A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society," the new pope said in his homily delivered at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Thursday.
However, the message from the pope – who, like his predecessor, appears to hail from the more inclusive and progressive wing of the Catholic Church – does not appear to be receptive to some in the "America First" movement.
The founder and leader of the movement, President Donald Trump, on Thursday quickly praised the selection of Leo, who was Chicago-born but has lived much of his adult life in Peru.
"It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!" Trump wrote in a social media post.
Additionally, Vice President JD Vance, only the second Catholic vice president in U.S. history, congratulated the new pope, adding, "I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!"
However, thanks to a paper trail of weighing in on major American lighting rod issues such as illegal immigration, gun control, and even the 2020 death of George Floyd – which sparked nationwide protests targeting police brutality towards minorities – the new pope was bound to be controversial among some of Trump's millions of MAGA supporters.
Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist in Trump's first administration and a conservative Catholic, wrote, "Worst pick ever," in responding on social media to the new pope's election.
That sentiment from Bannon, and much harsher words from some far-right podcasters and social media influencers, was likely fueled in part by apparent past posts from the new pope – which could not be independently verified by Fox News – that were critical of the Trump administration's sweeping and controversial immigration policies.
Pro-Trump conservative commentator Joey Mannarino took to X to charge that "the new Pope has recently attacked JD Vance, shown solidarity with Kilmar Abrego-Garcia and begged Trump to open the borders like Biden had them. This guy is worse than Francis."
However, influential conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, a MAGA world rock star and Trump ally who leads the powerful Turning Point USA youth organization, was more measured.
"Let’s just say, not so great tweets about having some willingness for open borders. We’ll see kind of how he is on that. Also some George Floyd stuff that I’m not too crazy about," Kirk said in a video posted on X.
Kirk added that "overall, it seems like he’s a pro-life warrior. There’s a lot yet to learn about this pope, but I hope that he will be a strong advocate for strong borders. And for sovereignty."
Popular conservative commentator and radio host Hugh Hewitt seemed receptive to the new pope.
Trump has warmly embraced American Catholics in recent years and captured nearly 60% of the Catholic vote in last year's presidential election, according to a Fox News voter analysis. Four years earlier, former President Joe Biden, the nation's second Catholic president, narrowly captured the Catholic vote.
Among those Catholics who supported Trump is former New Hampshire state House Speaker Bill O'Brien, who is one of the state's two members on the Republican National Committee.
O'Brien told Fox News that he's "very respectful of the votes of the conclave, and I'm also proud that we do have a pope from America."
"I certainly would have liked to have seen someone more in the tradition of Pope Benedict, who held more closely to the traditional doctrines of the church," O'Brien said. "But I'm not sure that Pope Leo is really established now in terms of where he will be. And the fact that he criticized Trump, I suppose that probably shows a less than developed political sense than it does a doctoral sense, which is more important."
O'Brien noted that "any pope, any religious figure for that matter, is going to be concerned about those who are powerless in our society, and rightfully so, but that doesn't mean he's given intense thought to the importance of national borders."
He additionally emphasized that "I'm thrilled about where he comes from, and I'm hopeful about where he's going."
