‘Direct And Blatant Attack On Our Country’: Trump Announces End To Trade Talks With Canada

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President Donald Trump announced Friday he is ending trade talks with Canada over the northern neighbor’s decision to impose a digital service tax on American technology companies.

Trump called Canada’s decision “a direct and blatant attack on our Country” in a Truth Social post.

“They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately,” Trump also wrote.

Canada is reportedly going ahead with the tax despite its inclusion in the Group of Seven (G7) agreement in which President Trump agreed to remove Section 899, also known as the revenge tax proposal, from his “Big Beautiful” tax bill, according to Bloomberg.

The tax will require digital services companies like Meta to pay 3 percent of the digital services revenue they make on Canadian users above 20 million Canadian dollars ($14.6 million) in a calendar year, according to Bloomberg.

Canada’s tax will apply retroactively to 2022 and the country’s Finance Department says the first payments will be due from digital companies Monday, Bloomberg reported.

Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne hinted that the tax may be a potential piece of leverage in trade negotiations.

“Obviously all of that is something that we’re considering as part of broader discussions that you may have,” he told Bloomberg.

Trump concluded his Truth Social post with indications that the U.S. will retaliate.

“We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period,” he wrote.

Industry leaders applauded Trump’s move.

“This tax unfairly singles out American firms while local competitors skate by. Whether it’s Brussels or Ottawa, President Trump is right to call them out and force this to change,” John Czwartacki, co-founder and principal at Public Policy Solutions said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller. 

“Canada is once again seeking to discriminate against U.S. technology companies, this time with a European-style digital services tax,” Michael Lucci, the founder and CEO of State Armor, also said in a statement.  

“This is not how allies and partners should treat one another. Canada is not holding up their end of our partnership, and President Trump is right to stand up for American interests,” Lucci concluded.

AUTHOR

Robert McGreevy

Reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

MAJOR HURDLE CLEARED: Senate Advances Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ Bill

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“The One Big Beautiful Bill will secure our borders, turbocharge our economy, and bring back the American dream. This is the ultimate codification of our agenda to very simply Make America Great Again.” – President Donald J. Trump, White House.

As the 4th of July holiday approaches—a much talked about target day for passage of the bill. CNBC: President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon hosted a group of working-class Americans at the White House, as he cranks up pressure on Senate Republicans to quickly pass his massive tax-and-spending agenda. The event in support of Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” featured a collection of what his administration described as “everyday Americans” poised to benefit from the legislation’s tax cuts and other provisions. They included truck drivers, firefighters, law enforcement, healthcare workers, ranchers, and workers who rely on tips (CNBC).

Full event on Truth Social:

Senate votes 51-49 to advance President Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ spending bill — despite opposition from 2 GOP lawmakers

By Anna Young, NY Post, June 28, 2025:

The Senate voted Saturday to launch into debate on President Trump’s “big beautiful” spending bill, after Republican leaders spent hours working to gain enough support to approve the 940-page document.

The multi-trillion dollar bill narrowly advanced in a 51-49 procedural vote, despite opposition from two Republican lawmakers who joined their Democratic colleagues in an attempt to block the measure from reaching the Senate floor.

Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rand Paul (R-KY) were the holdouts after they publicly declared that they wouldn’t be backing the bill in its current form.

The Senate voted 51-49 in a procedural vote to advance the One Big Beautiful Bill to a debate on June 28, 2025. 4

The Senate voted 51-49 in a procedural vote to advance the One Big Beautiful Bill to a debate on June 28, 2025. C-SPAN

Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson initially voted against the procedural motion but flipped at the eleventh hour.

Vice President JD Vance had arrived at Capitol Hill earlier in the night and remained on standby ready to cast his tie-breaking vote as Republicans remained divided throughout the nearly four hour proceeding.

Debate will now begin on the spending bill – and that could take hours as New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer has promised to have the nearly 1,000-page measure read before a final vote on passing it can happen.

“Tonight we saw a GREAT VICTORY in the Senate with the “GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,” but, it wouldn’t have happened without the Fantastic Work of Senator Rick Scott, Senator Mike Lee, Senator Ron Johnson, and Senator Cynthia Lummis,” Trump said on Truth Social early Sunday.

“They, along with all of the other Republican Patriots who voted for the Bill, are people who truly love our Country!”

Trump has lobbied for House and Senate Republicans to fast-track the legislation so it lands on his desk by his self-imposed July 4 deadline.

The measure would make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, end taxation on tips and overtime, boost border security funding and scrap green-energy tax credits passed during the Biden administration.

The legislation would also have to raise the debt ceiling by roughly $5 trillion in order to cram in all the provisions.

Trump warned potential dissenters earlier Saturday that refusal to support his bill would be an “ultimate betrayal” – later lashing out at Tillis on social media for making a “big mistake” and threatening to primary him for turning his back on the spending bill.

“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis,” the commander in chief posted on Truth Social as the vote stalled late Saturday night.

“I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

After the vote passed, the president also hurled criticism at Sen. Paul, the other Republican holdout.

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

POSTS ON X:

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Obama-Appointed Senate Parliamentarian Blocks Major Changes in Big Beautiful Bill

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So sick of these underminers. This bill should have been passed weeks ago. Congress is useless.

We know who is telling this maidservant what to do.

“Meet the Democrat singlehandedly blocking key provisions in President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. Elizabeth Macdonough, a close ally to Obama serves as the Senate Parliamentarian. There is a solution to her efforts to stop the president’s agenda – JD Vance – he could overrule her as President of the Senate.”

She’s trying to require Trump to obtain 60 votes in the Senate instead of 50+1.

Senate Parliamentarian Blocks Major Medicaid Changes in Big Beautiful Bill

The Senate parliamentarian on Thursday advised the Medicaid provider tax could not be included in the Big Beautiful Bill, which could upend how the bill could offset the Trump tax cuts.

By: Sean Moran, Breitbart, 26 Jun 26, 2025:

The Senate parliamentarian on Thursday advised the Medicaid provider tax could not be included in the Big Beautiful Bill, which could upend how the bill could offset the Trump tax cuts.

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled the Medicaid provider tax would require 60 votes in the Senate to be included in the Big Beautiful Bill. The Senate parliamentarian’s ruling complicates the offsets for enhancing and extending the Trump tax cuts.

The potential loss of the Medicaid provider tax would force Senate Republicans to find other potential spending cuts to pay for the Big Beautiful Bill. The parliamentarian also struck down provisions that would bar the use of Medicaid funds for transgender healthcare services and to prevent illegal aliens from receiving Medicaid or CHIP healthcare coverage.

However, it remains possible that Senate Republicans could change the language of the Medicaid provider tax to be eligible in the Big Beautiful Bill.

Senate Majority Leader Thune explained to Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle how the “Byrd Bath” process works: “We’re going through the Byrd bath, this Byrd test, which our bill has to run through that filter, and the parliamentarian is the sort of referee — determines what’s in, what’s out. But we kind of anticipated a lot of this stuff, and knew, in most cases at least what we were doing, what had a good chance of getting through, and what didn’t. And we worked closely with the House to coordinate when they were passing their bill over there, to minimize the number of things that would get knocked out under the Byrd rule. So we have been working from the very beginning on this, but that said, there are some things that are getting knocked out. What we’re intending, however, is when it’s done in the Senate, that it’ll be in a condition and a shape that can go back to the House, consistent with what the House passed, but hopefully improved upon by what we did in the Senate, and then be able to pass it on the floor there and send it to the president. So that’s the process.”

On the Wall Street Journal podcast All Things with Kim Strassel, Thune signaled that Republicans would work to find alternatives to things that may get struck down by the parliamentarian.

He said:

Well, in most of those cases, we have a plan B and a plan C… we’ve had contingency plans, we’re going back at her, and we think we’ll get a lot of that restored… And even the Democrats, when they were doing this, when they had unified control of the government, had things knocked out… But we’re still going to get a ton of what we wanted in this, and this is the president’s agenda, and so this will be the fulfillment and implementation of that. And we’re going to, we’re full speed ahead in trying to get it done.

“Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules and hurts families and workers,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement.

“Democrats are fighting back against Republicans’ plans to gut Medicaid, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and kick kids, veterans, seniors, and folks with disabilities off of their health insurance,” the Democrat added.

Republicans are using budgetary reconciliation to pass the Big Beautiful Bill through the Senate using only a simple majority, or 51 votes. While it can avoid the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold, a reconciliation bill cannot make policy changes or things that are considered “extraneous” to spending.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Thune Plows Ahead with Big Beautiful Deadline Despite Question Marks

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Every couple of years, all eyes are suddenly trained on one of Congress’s most under-the-radar jobs: the Senate parliamentarian. For 13 years, Elizabeth MacDonough has equal parts elated and frustrated parties in their attempts to squeeze major legislation through the reconciliation process. The first-ever woman to hold the job, MacDonough has played the referee through four administrations and an array of different Senate leaders. It’s up to her to settle the bitter disputes over which parts of the Big Beautiful Bill are relevant under the rules and which aren’t. In other words, she’s the most important person to Donald Trump’s agenda that most people have never heard of.

For the last several days, the “parl,” as the position is affectionately nicknamed, has been combing through the fine print of the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the bill to see which parts do, in fact, meet the standards for this specialized budget process. As MacDonough once explained it, “We’re the neutral end of [these partisan battles, which is] very important. Yes, you need to think of that somebody who is not elected, not a party apparatchik.”

That matters, especially now, as the two sides duke it out over what belongs in the president’s signature legislation and what doesn’t. To unlock reconciliation, everything has to abide by the Byrd Rule, which keeps parties from tacking on “extraneous” provisions. Democrats flagged several pieces of the bill that they argue aren’t budget-related, which is the major criterion for surviving the Bryd Bath.

Already, MacDonough has announced some GOP casualties — Byrd droppings — that she’s ruled non-germane. Making matters interesting, some of the victims were programs or provisions that helped sweeten the deal for reluctant House members to sign on. Language that would force the states to pay a bigger share of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or restrictions on temporary restraining orders from lower courts have been struck, at least for now, along with priorities like EPA revisions, overhauls to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, regulatory powers, a mandate to sell the Post Office’s electric vehicles, and more were all struck — sending Seante Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) into a huddle to see which pieces Republicans might rework.

The blows didn’t seem to derail Thune’s timeline, though. “Breitbart News Saturday” asked the majority leader, “Are we still on track for getting the bill out of the Senate by the Fourth of July?” “We are,” Thune replied. Obviously, he pointed out, things are more complicated in the Senate with “laws and restrictions and procedures that we have to operate under that are different than the House. So some of that takes a bit longer,” he conceded, “but as we head into this next week, I’m fully confident that we’re going to be ready to roll, and we have to be,” he said. “We’ve got to deliver.”

One thing he’s learned, Thune admitted, is that “if you don’t put deadlines out there, nothing gets done, and this stuff can drag on and on endlessly. If we want to get the one big, beautiful bill done, the Senate is going to have to act, and we’re going to hopefully act in a way that will enable the House when we send it back over there to them, because they have to pass the same bill that we do.”

Apart from the parliamentarian, the biggest wrench to Trump’s signature bill is getting the House on board with the changes, which were significant. Unlike Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) chamber, the Senate’s version brings the state and local tax deduction (SALT) back to earth from $40,000 to $10,000. Anticipating the House moderates’ anger, Thune tried to tamp down the frustration by pointing out, “We understand that it’s a negotiation. Obviously, there had to be some marker in the bill to start with, but we’re prepared to have discussions with our colleagues here in the Senate and figure out a landing spot.”

Other flashpoints include bigger reforms to Medicaid, a $5 trillion debt ceiling (instead of the House’s $4 trillion), a “gentler” approach to the green energy tax credits that Joe Biden created, and more permanent tax cuts for businesses. Based on the extension of the climate change subsidies alone, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) announced that he wouldn’t vote for the package.

“Rumor is Senate plans to jam the House with its weaker, unacceptable [One Big Beautiful Bill],” Roy vented on X Tuesday. “This is not a surprise but it would be a mistake,” he warned. “The bill in its current Senate form would increase deficits, continue most Green New Scam subsidies, & otherwise fail even a basic smell test… I would not vote for it as it is.”

His Arizona colleague, Andy Harris (R-Md.), agreed. “The currently proposed Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill weakens key House priorities,” the chair of the House Freedom Caucus said. “It doesn’t do enough to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, it backtracks on Green New Scam elimination included in the House bill, and it greatly increases the deficit — taking us even further from a balanced budget.”

Thune responded to critics, stressing, “This is a process whereby everybody doesn’t get everything they want.” Others, like Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), sought to highlight the pros of the bill. “I think we’re going to find more spending cuts,” he explained to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. “I know that won’t break your heart. … It’s plain and simple. We’re going to make the tax cuts permanent. The SALT thing is probably one of the stickier things. But at the end of the day, this bill is going to be good enough that if you voted for it in the House before, there’s no reason for you not to vote for it this next time, because then you’re given a binary choice. Is it better to pass it or not? And at that point, I think that the House will pass it as well.”

House conservatives like Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) say they’re “hopeful” that “we’ll wind up with a product that every Republican in the House and Senate can vote for. We were close in the House.” But no one is quite sure how many congressmen will fall in line.

At the end of the day, Johnson admitted that there’s heartburn on the aspects where the two chambers aren’t on the same page. “But look,” he told Perkins on Saturday’s “This Week on Capitol Hill,” “we’re giving them the space to do what they need to do. I’m in constant communication with Leader Thune over there, my counterpart, and with individual senators who have expressed concerns or questions about why we did what we did in the House version. And so, look, I think this is going along well,” he agreed. “And I certainly hope they make as many minor modifications as possible and not major modifications, because that will make it more difficult for us to pass it, as you know.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2025 Family Research Council.

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President Trump: China Trade, Tariff Deal ‘DONE’

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President Trump confirmed early Wednesday that the US reached a “deal” with China following intense, marathon trade negotiations in London.

“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me,” Trump announced on Truth Social Wednesday in full capitalization. “Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China.”

“Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. The relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

How are we vetting these students?

Trump says China trade, tariff deal ‘done,’ awaits his and Xi Jinping’s approval

“FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA,” President Trump said.

By Natalia Mittelstadt, Just The News, June 11, 2025:

President Trump on Wednesday announced that the deal with China “is done,” and is awaiting his and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s approval.

“OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!). WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!”

The U.S. and China reached a framework for a looming trade deal on Tuesday, which came on the second day of negotiations in London.

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Critics of the Big Beautiful Bill ‘Are Going to Be Wrong,’ Johnson Warns

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For months, the bright lights have been on the House, capturing the made-for-TV drama of the Republicans’ Houdini-like wins. And while people have come to appreciate House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as a sort of consensus whisperer, no one is quite sure what to make of his Senate counterpart. But now that Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is in the reconciliation hot seat, America is about to see what Mitch McConnell’s replacement is made of. And as far as first tests go, this is a biggie.

Thune, who’s had a front-row seat for the House debate, knows that the job that awaits is no picnic. Like the speaker, he understands a thing or two about small margins. With just three votes to spare and 53 different opinions on next steps, corralling his caucus will require a mix of patience and thick skin. After listening to his caucus pick apart the draft passed by Johnson’s chamber, Thune’s early message is one of caution. “It’ll have to track very closely to the House bill,” he warned Monday, “because they’ve got a fragile majority and struck a very delicate balance.”

That in itself is a shift from earlier weeks, when Thune seemed to agree with the Republicans eager to make sweeping changes. Now, the South Dakotan says more reservedly, “[T]here are some things that senators want to add to the bill or things we’d do slightly differently.” Based on the soundbites coming out of his caucus, that’s putting it mildly. Goldilocks herself would go mad trying to find the sweet spot between the five factions of senators with competing goals.

There’s the group demanding more spending cuts (Ron Johnson, Wis.; Mike Lee, Utah; Rick Scott, Fla.), and another worried they go too deep (Susan Collins, Maine; Lisa Murkowski, Alaska). There are the pro-Medicaid reform Republicans and the not-so-pro-overhaul Republicans (Josh Hawley, Mo.; Murkowski; Jerry Moran, Kan.; and Jim Justice, W.Va.). While some cheer the end of Biden’s “clean energy credits,” others pan them (Murkowski; Moran; Thom Tillis, N.C.; John Curtis, Utah). While Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) rages against the debt ceiling hike, the more rural state senators are fighting the other chamber’s changes to health and supplemental nutrition programs (Chuck Grassley, Iowa). And remember the SALT caucus of the House? Well, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) admitted, “There’s not one Republican in the United States Senate” who cares about the state and local tax deduction cap.

And that’s to say nothing of the give-and-take on tax levels, ranges of defense and border spending, and a million other flashpoints tucked in the 1,100-page draft. Add that to the Byrd Bath, which will decide what belongs in reconciliation and what doesn’t, and you have the makings of four long, stress-filled weeks. “There’s always some who think it’s too hot, some [who] think it’s too cold,” observer Neil Bradley shook his head. “Where do you find the point where a majority think it’s just right?”

Great question — one that Thune will be losing his share of sleep over. In the end, he told reporters, “We’ve got to do what we can get 51 [votes] for.”

Johnson can sympathize. In his weekend sit-down with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, he spoke knowingly. “… [A]s all our friends in the Senate know, it took us over a year to reach that equilibrium point in the House,” he said on Saturday’s “This Week on Capitol Hill.” The most important takeaway, the speaker reminds Thune’s disgruntled Republicans, is that “we’re going to achieve over $1.5 trillion in savings. … It’s the largest amount of savings of any government that would ever be achieved in the history of mankind. It’s a good start. It’s not enough, but it’s a good start. And I think the Senate’s got to recognize that.”

One of the greatest misunderstandings — even with people in Washington — is that the reconciliation package was never meant to be the vehicle for all of the president’s spending cuts. When Elon Musk and others complain that the bill doesn’t reduce the deficit, there’s a fundamental disconnect about several things, the speaker underscores. For starters, he reminded everyone, “This is just the beginning of a long process. We’re going to have another reconciliation bill, possibly two additional bills, coming up in the near future.”

Secondly — and just as importantly — “you have to remember how the process works,” the speaker stressed. When Americans (including Musk) wonder why there aren’t more Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts in the “one, big, beautiful bill,” it’s simple. “There are two categories of federal spending,” Johnson pointed out. “One is mandatory spending, one is discretionary. The reconciliation package [deals] with the first category, not the latter. So it was not possible — literally, under the rules of the Senate — for us to put DOGE cuts in large measure in the reconciliation package. That has to be a separate instrument.”

And that “separate instrument” is what the White House is working on right now: a rescissions package to roll back discretionary spending that was already approved. Thanks to the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, presidents can permanently cancel funding to executive agencies if it’s within a 45-day window and if a simple majority of Congress approves. As we speak, Donald Trump is teeing up the first “of many” rescission proposals, worth about $9.4 billion of waste, fraud, and abuse.

That, Johnson reiterated, is what Congress has been waiting for. “I mean, there was no playbook for what Elon Musk and DOGE were doing. They didn’t have a set of procedures to follow. They had to create them as they went.” And now, he continued, Republicans are ready to make those recommendations a reality. Nothing that Musk’s team did will go to waste, the speaker assured Americans.

“The work will go forward and continue, because what he’s done is he’s brought a spotlight into these agencies — into these bureaucracies that we were never able to see. We got a perspective on it that Congress was never allowed because the bureaucracy was hiding so much data. I mean, we didn’t know, obviously, that Congress was funding transgender operas in Peru and all these other crazy things that were happening under USAID,” Johnson said, shaking his head. Elon found it because he cracked the code. He got inside the belly of the beast with his algorithms, and he uncovered it, and we’ve got to wipe it out.”

But the headlines that the House is adding to an already ballooning deficit are baloney, the speaker argued. “I sent a long text message to [Musk] to explain to him and make sure that he understands that he was looking at [an] analysis of the bill that was not accurate.” He pointed to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the bill and emphasized, “CBO is historically inaccurate. It’s run by Democrats. … They’re not going to give us a fair score. But the important thing to remember about this is that they do not use dynamic scoring. They use static scoring. In layman’s terms, all that means is they don’t give us any credit for the growth. The Big Beautiful Bill is going to be jet fuel to the U.S. economy. It is a pro-growth economy builder. It’s going to lower tax rates, lower regulations, [and] incentivize U.S. manufacturing again. When that happens, we know what [the effect will be].”

Let’s not forget, the speaker reminded Perkins, “We already did this in the first Trump administration, [and we] had the greatest economy in the history of the world after the first two years, because we cut taxes and cut regulations. Now we’re doing it on steroids. So the tremendous growth that will be achieved by this is being totally discounted by CBO. They’re saying it will add to the deficit. It’s not true,” he declared. “By our calculations, we are going to reduce the deficit because of all the growth that we stimulated. Just watch and see that the critics are going to be wrong.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2025 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

The National RINO Hunt Team

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  • Too many Republicans don’t stand for anything except reelection
  • The Republican Party needs to become a party of principle again
  • The Virginia Republican Creed is a good start
  • RINOs are Republicans who, among other things, endorse Democrats, agree with their policies, and shut out the grassroots

RINO Removal Project Taking Shape

National Scene

The RINO Removal Project (RRP) launched a few months ago and is gaining traction, as the group zeroes in on primarying a few notorious RINOs in Congress. RRP, which follows America First principles and emerged completely from the grassroots, is going after 10 members of Congress, mostly familiar names.

RINOs love Democrat social spending

  • Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is staking out his spot as a populist defender of Medicaid in opposition to the steep cuts contained in the House-passed megabill to fund President Trump’s domestic agenda.  Hawley will not support a bill that cuts Medicaid benefits.  
  • House Republican leadership’s decision to step back from two pathways to major Medicaid cost savings has fueled contempt among hard line conservatives.  Conservatives chafe at taking Medicaid savings options off table.  Reconciliation battle over potential Medicaid cuts roils Republicans
  • Some House Republicans trying to keep Medicaid expansion for childless able-bodied adults, just tinkering around the edges with work requirement and noncitizen provisions.

Turncoat Tillis – RINO Senator Thom Tillis, who voted to confirm Biden’s radical pick for Attorney General Merrick Garland, told reporters that he opposes the nomination of Ed Martin for DC US Attorney

Now that Sen. John Cornyn has been cornered, and is facing a legitimate primary contender who will galvanize the MAGA movement in Texas against him, Loomer Unleashed can exclusively confirm that Cornyn has turned to the ugliest factions of the Republican Establishment for assistance in defeating Ken Paxton.

Ron DeSantis Slams Congressional Republicans for ‘Betrayal of the Voters Who Elected Them’.  “To see Republicans in Congress cast aside any meaningful spending reductions (and, in fact, fully fund things like USAID) is demoralizing and represents a betrayal of the voters who elected them,” he posted.

It’s hard to believe that we are in the year 2025 and there are still some Republicans – including Vice President JD Vance, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, and even one of Donald Trump’s Nominees to sit on the National Labor Relations Board – who favor forced unionization in the workplace.  So much for the GOP being the freedom party.

Three House Republicans Reportedly Holding Up Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood:  Reps. Mike Lawler, Jen Kiggans and Brian Fitzpatrick were among moderates who told House GOP leadership they oppose cutting federal funding to Planned Parenthood via reconciliation

  • Pro-life forces in Congress have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to defund Planned Parenthood, but the road ahead is far from easy.  Yet the effort to excise “big abortion’s” slush fund stands in danger of faltering over intra-party squabbles. This is an appropriate time for President Trump to step in and unite the GOP

GOP Grifters:  A party for Trump’s first 100 days was billed as ‘official’ — it was anything but that.  Attendees of the event and local Republican organizers have come out against the event, its hosts, and the entire premise. They called it a “scam” and a “grift.”

  • To its credit, the local Arlington, Virginia GOP unit did its best to warn people about this

FL

Florida RINOs working with communists and voting with Democrats to defeat Governor DeSantis on tough immigration laws, open carry, etc.

WI

Republicans proposing expansion of early voting, a Democrat idea

May 2025

GOP Senators Fight for Democrat Energy Subsidies

National Scene

GOP senators fight for Democrat energy subsidies – Four senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune asking “to preserve energy tax credits included in the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act in the impending budget reconciliation bill.” The letter was signed by Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Curtis of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Senator Josh Hawley ‘evolves’, won’t vote to cut Medicaid which is a major driver of the budget deficit; supports Democrat amendment to kill effort to find Medicaid savings

  • What is wrong with these people?  they get to Washington and lose their principles.  Makes you wonder if they had any to begin with.

CO

In one of the strangest political strategies ever, the new Colorado GOP leadership team (Brita Horn, Darel Lee Phelan and Russ Andrews) have publicly announced they and the Republican Party will not talk about or take a position on any legislation proposed in the Colorado State legislature.

  • This means the state party will no longer weigh in on Democrat priorities on abortion, gun control, parents’ rights, or anything else, no matter how extreme.
  • One activist asked: “We are supposed to all work for Republican candidates chosen by unaffiliates and it doesn’t matter what they believe in according to the new leadership. What’s the point of being a Republican anymore?”

Instead of staying and fighting the good fight, these five elected Republicans (Mary Bradfield, Rose Pugliese as always, Anthony Hartsook, Rick Taggart, and Matt Soper) sided with the Democrats in agreeing to take $30M from Colorado schools, to fund Democrat projects, like removing children from their parents if their parents don’t agree to allowing their children to “trans out” and be groomed by the adults around them.

FL

Governor ZigZag –

MT

GOP-controlled legislature passes bill purporting to ban foreign funding of ballot initiatives, but the bill is so bad conservatives ask the Governor to veto it

ND

Republican Governor vetoes school choice bill

SC

Conservatives accuse state GOP of rigging the vote to reelect state party chair Drew McKissick to a fifth term

TN

TN may wear the label of a deep red state, but after the 2025 legislative session, grassroots conservatives are waking up to a harsh reality.  Despite holding more than 80% of the seats in the General Assembly, TN’s Republican supermajority repeatedly betrayed core conservative principles

  • “These guys and gals as it were, have no care at all that they pass legislation and kill legislation in a completely self-serving manner that ignores the will of the people. And it seems to have gotten worse as President Trump has returned to the White House, as though the country and Tennessee’s support of the president, is somehow extended to THEM. They act with impunity and hubris. They need to be stopped.” – TN RINO hunter 

TX

54 Republicans join 41 Democrats to pass bill to give $5B to rich investment firms instead of lowering property taxes

The GOP-controlled TX House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at criminalizing political memes.  The bill, HB 366, would imprison offenders for a minimum of one year if the meme does not have a government-approved disclaimer.

April 2025

Anti-RINO Forces Coalescing

The National RINO Hunt Team is gratified there are now more news sources trained on RINOs.  NRHT has been at it since 2022.  Anti-RINO forces are finally coalescing and the tide is definitely turning in our favor.

Spotlight on NE

This guy has left the reservation and is out of control –
Rep. Don Bacon (RINO-NE) is now echoing Democrat talking points by publicly calling for President Trump to fire Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — all based on a debunked New York Times smear

  • Go.  Just go.
    Don Bacon considers retiring after feeling heat from conservative activists

CO

RINO Watch Colorado paints bleak picture of state GOP

  • Colorado is already a one-party state with Democrats controlling the Governorship, the House, the Senate and every state-wide office along with every state judge. How could it get worse? Well, the Republican Party could just disappear, devoured by a three headed Hydra monster of Kirkmeyer, Ganahl and Chairman Horn which is happening now.
    – Their grassroots training is intended to move things leftward and groom future RINOs.  
    – Weld County was overtaken by RINOs due to massive funding from New York Democrats lead by the leftwing daughter in law of Rupert Murdoch, Kathryn Murdoch.
  • Republican lawmakers in Colorado sponsoring legislation to elevate party precinct leaders with no political affiliation in the selection process when legislative vacancies occur – huh?

GA

RINOs covering up thousands of fake duplicate ballots from 2020 election; activists awaiting explanation.

LA

State Treasurer calls for support in election bid to oust ‘RINO Turncoat’ Sen. Cassidy.  After recalling his work history with President Trump, Fleming characterized his electoral opponent Senator Bill Cassidy (R), as a “RINO Turncoat” and disloyal to his political party of choice, citing Cassidy’s vote to impeach President Trump in 2021.

MT

State GOP demands already-censured Senator Wendy McKamey stop obstructing bill to ban foreign funding of ballot initiatives

ND

North Dakota Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong vetoed a bill that would have required school districts to keep books determined to be “sexually explicit” out of the reach of students

PA

Oh look, our “Republican” State Rep. Tom Mehaffie (PA-106) is celebrating “Carbon Neutrality” AGAIN.  He’s also voted with the Democrats for every PA version of the Green New Scam & sponsors gas stove bans.

SD

South Dakota’s new Republican Party chairman is a former Democrat, but he’s been a Republican for nine years. Now he’s concerned about “Republicans In Name Only,” or RINOs, and wants to weed them out.

TN

IVF bill, introduced by Republicans and supported by Democrats and Planned Parenthood, weakens state’s abortion ban and opens the door to abortifacients and selective abortion

TX

Republicans facilitating Muslim takeover of Texas

Tarrant County GOP Resolution censures Rep. Giovanni Capriglione for failing to vote for the Republican Caucus nominee for Speaker of the House, elevating Democrats to subcommittee and vice-chairs, etc.

Congressional Republicans Want to Tax the Rich

National Scene

Republicans in Congress are considering increasing taxes on the rich as a part of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” of ambitious legislative priorities, a striking development that breaks with decades of party orthodoxy and is spurring alarm bells from traditional conservatives.

  • Tax the rich?  We have the Democrats for that.  What do we need you for?

AL
This man is giving Republicans a bad name –
Rep. Corey Harbison R-AL rarely attended sessions in 2024 and 2025 but remained on the roll, raising questions about accountability and transparency in legislative attendance.

CO

GOP LAWSUIT AGAINST BRITA HORN NOT OVER
The party is suing Brita Horn and the others who falsely claimed that they were the real officers of the state GOP due to a meeting which an El Paso District Court found to be fraudulent.  The $100,000-plus she may owe to the GOP is a Party asset she cannot simply cancel because she is Party Chair.

FL

Republican lawmakers’ plan to sabotage DeSantis has been in the works since November

More pro-developer bills cooking in Republican-controlled Florida legislature – e.g., HB1118, which removes the power of citizens to stand against local development. There are several additional bills in the process of passage by the Florida legislature, other than 1118, which take away citizens’ rights to govern their own communities. All seem to be geared towards development.

Florida Republicans going wobbly on the Second Amendment after FSU shooting

MI

Second Time’s the Charm? Rogers Takes Another Shot at Michigan Senate Race.  Rogers is supported by a number of supposed conservatives but, as we previously reported: Former MI Congressman Mike Rogers is a deep-state RINO and currently the RINO favorite to run in the U.S. Senate race in 2024 in MI.  The problem is he doesn’t even live in MI, having moved to FL for “business opportunities.”

MT

You can run, but you can’t hide:  GOP Reps. Courtenay Sprunger & Randynn Gregg seen exiting the chamber before the property tax relief bill that died by one vote.

Yes, we got fooled again – Senator gets elected as Trump supporter, goes ‘bipartisan’.  Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) was elected to the Senate last year as a full-throated supporter of President Donald Trump, promising to “back him up 100% of the time.”  But during his nascent Senate tenure, Sheehy has become known more for bipartisan legislating than anything else.

OH

As President Donald Trump ramps up attacks on the judiciary, the Republican-led House voted to limit district court judges’ ability to issue the nationwide injunctions that have hampered some of his executive actions.  The vote was 219-213, with just one Republican, Mike Turner of Ohio, joining all Democrats in opposing it. The bill now heads to the Senate.

TN

A controversial bill to eliminate local GOP caucuses passed the Republican-controlled Tennessee House, despite warnings from Rep. Gino Bulso about its unconstitutionality.

Fiscal shenanigans in GOP-led House – the invoice for HB855 gets added after passage.  Now taxpayers are stuck with an $8M bill. Republicans Jack Johnson and Lee Reeves led the charge—while their own wives stand to benefit. Deception, exposed.

State GOP upholds grassroots win in Williamson County GOP leadership contest – Despite cries of a “rigged” vote, the Tennessee GOP State Executive Committee unanimously upheld the Williamson County GOP reorganization, citing no evidence of fraud or malice.

TX

Sen. John Cornyn claims fictitious Trump endorsement

Ken Paxton: “He [Sen. John Cornyn] doesn’t represent the values of Texas. He has taken positions that are extremely unpopular, at least in the Republican base, and I think many Texans, as it relates to guns, as it relates to the border, as it even relates to President Trump,” said Paxton, 62.

Run, Ken, Run!

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he will run against RINO Senator John Cornyn in 2026.  “It’s definitely time for a change in Texas,” Paxton said. 

National Scene

Senators voted 54 to 45 to confirm Elbridge Colby to serve as the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy with former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky the lone Republican to vote “no” on the nomination

RINO Rep. Don Bacon (RINO-NE) announced that he would be moving to undercut President Trump’s bold move to reshape the global economic order with reciprocal tariffs on countries that have taken advantage of America for years

The U.S. House has passed Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) No Rogue Rulings Act, which will place restrictions on federal District Court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.  One Republican, Rep. Mike Turner from Ohio, voted to empower activist judges.

A supposedly conservative group (Plymouth Union Public Advocacy) pushing a Democrat priority,  launching six-figure ads urging GOP senators to extend Biden’s jumbo Obamacare subsidies

CO

RINO queen Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer cuts deal with Dems to kill grassroots effort to vote to opt out of state’s disastrous open primary system.  The donor controlled UniParty/Establishment faction of the CO Republican Party launched a three-pronged attack on the effort, which aims to return to closed primaries where you must be a Republican to vote in the GOP primary.

FL

Florida’s Republican Legislature Rebels Against Governor DeSantis.  The biggest surprise in the legislature’s immigration bill, however, is the designation of the Commissioner of Agriculture as Chief Enforcement Officer.  Commissioner Simpson has a track record of being weak on immigration enforcement (representing agricultural interests) and AWOL on election integrity.

GOP-controlled Senate committee advances bill that panders to big developers by preventing local referendums to regulate housing density

MN
Prominent Republicans unite to fight Action 4 Liberty, a nominally grassroots group that is gaining ground in MNGOP politics

  • the way we hear the story, though, not every grassroots conservative in the state likes what A4L is doing

OK

Republican state Attorney General donated to Biden, but now praises Trump’s “decisive leadership” to boost AG’s run for Governor

TN

GOP-led House committee advances bill to strip parties of right to hold caucuses in preemptive strike to neutralize rising grassroots conservatives

Republican-led Senate committee lets grassroots-supported bill to close party primaries die

Congressional Republicans Torpedo Trump Agenda

National Scene

The Traitor Caucus: Eight Republicans Join ALL 213 Democrats To Bring House Voting to a Halt.  Nine House Republicans joined all 213 Democrats Tuesday to keep alive a bill that would allow lawmakers who are new parents to cast proxy votes for three months after their child’s birth.

Senate Votes to Sabotage President Trump’s Canadian Tariff Policy With Four Republicans Casting the Decisive Yes Votes:  Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul.

  • The point is not whether you like Trump’s tariffs.  Most Republicans did, but four broke ranks and voted against the party.


RINO Dan Crenshaw praises Liz Cheney as a “principled leader” with a “backbone” and “fierce intellect”

  • this would be the same Liz Cheney who went out and campaigned for Democrat Kamala Harris?  Dan, you are truly lost.

Senate GOP budget keeps Biden’s Obamacare, Medicaid, and Medicare spending increases

Republicans who are on record supporting some of the taxpayer-funded subsidies in the “Inflation Reduction Act” could gum up the works for President Donald Trump’s efforts to cut wasteful spending, according to energy policy analysts.

Rep. Luna quits House Freedom Caucus, accusing it of operating outside its guidelines and brokering backroom deals that undermine its core values

CO

WELD COUNTY RINOS BULLY THEIR WAY TO VICTORY
The Weld County officers and bonus delegates were unanimously opposed to Dave Williams and any of his Grassroot supporters.  The Weld County delegates even had a team uniform with red shirts adorned with phrases on back attacking Williams. They proudly declared themselves to be RINOs and some even had rhino hats on. They bullied and screamed at any Grassroots delegate who wandered over to their side of the auditorium. Seated with them were Republican Congresspersons Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans.

Rep. Lauren Boebert joined Antifa efforts to prevent Steve Bannon from speaking at the CO GOP Centennial Dinner

New CO GOP Chair Brita Horn campaigned on “unifying” the Party.  Less than a week into the new administration, they have a FAILING Unity score.

FL

Rep Linda Chaney is claiming that this bill (HB 1381 supports Pres Trump’s Executive Order, but the bill lacks citizenship check for vote by mail and messes up audits and recounts

DeSantis rips FL House Republicans for ejecting a US Senator from an office formerly used by Marco Rubio because they are against immigration deportations by President Trump

GA

Georgia Republicans push last minute bill to limit public access to lawmaker and police records

MN

Conservatives across Minnesota have long awaited the truth surrounding the mystery Wyoming-based company, 1972-10, which received tens of thousands of dollars from contracts with the Republican Party during the reign of RINO David Hann

The MNGOP State Executive Committee again voted to disenfranchise the Grassroots Patriots of Otter Tail County. This is the Establishment’s next step after to ban the group from their own convention.

RINO Tom Emmer’s puppet elected CD6 chair after opponent blocked from speaking and running for the position, but CD7 conservatives unite to win two key party positions

MT

Montana GOP Purges 9 Turncoat Republican Senators for Backing Democrats, Says They Are No Longer Recognized as Republicans

TN

Tennessee bill SB799/HB855 is seen as retaliation after grassroots conservatives won a local GOP convention. Critics say it’s a power grab by establishment politicians to change election rules after losing, limiting local party control.

SB777, a bill to close open primaries and curb crossover voting, was procedurally killed in the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) moved to present the bill—but not a single member of the committee seconded his motion. The bill was neither discussed nor voted on. It simply died in silence.

What should have been a civil policy hearing on Tennessee’s controversial SB799 turned into a public spectacle when Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Hamilton County) launched into a heated, sarcastic, and at times aggressive exchange with Steve Hickey, the newly elected Williamson County GOP Chair and U.S. military veteran, during a Senate committee hearing.

TX

Texas AG Ken Paxton Would Crush RINO Senator John Cornyn in GOP primary

  • Paxton has teased running, but has not declared.

Lawlessness in Texas: RINO Texas House Speaker Caught Fabricating Quorum — Caught Red-Handed Counting 40 Absent Lawmakers as ‘Present’ Breaking State Law

The Texas Legislature RINO List

WA

Jarrod Sessler was grassroots-favored 2024 candidate against Dan Newhouse in CD4. Jarrod was endorsed by Trump and was the Republican primary winner to go up against Newhouse in the General, but lost to the Establishment RINO Newhouse.

American Renaissance Network

American Renaissance Network (ARN) is looking for volunteer activists to fill spots on its Guardians of History and National RINO Hunt teams and for ARN’s next short-term project – taking on the New York Times.  These are not honorary positions.  Work is expected.  All spots are competitive.

Guardians of History – This influential team fights back against the Woke Mob that has taken over such national historic sites as Monticello, Montpelier, Colonial Williamsburg, etc.  Recent initiatives include confronting the Mellon Foundation for funding Woke historical initiatives, and firing back against critics of America’s 250th birthday celebration. Archives here.  The ideal candidate would be a history buff who is upset by the Left’s relentless attacks on America’s founding.  The team meets for 30 minutes at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday mornings by videoconference (dial-in option available).  Manageable work and attendance requirements must be met to stay on the team.

National RINO Hunt Team – This nationally networked team endeavors to return the Republican Party to a party of principle again.  We fight the RINOs who vote with Democrats, resist election integrity efforts, promote illegal immigration, or otherwise undermine GOP ideals.  The team produces the RINO Round-Up newsletter which is seen each week by 10,000 to 14,000 people nationwide.  The team also consults with grassroots GOP candidates on campaign strategy and messaging.  The ideal team member would be a veteran of Republican Party politics and is currently involved in campaigns, precinct organizing, building conservative caucuses within local or state GOP units, etc.  The team meets for 45 minutes at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday evenings by videoconference (dial-in option available).  Manageable work and attendance requirements must be met to stay on the team.

New York Times Project – A previous ARN Conservative Army short-term project confronted the New York Times on a hit piece it had published about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  The NYT responded to our criticism.  This encourages us to go at them again for its many transgressions and left-wing bias, starting with covering up the Holocaust and the Holodomor.  The team will assemble a litany of NYT’s transgressions and explore ways to weaken the paper’s undeserved influence among the public, in line with ARN’s mission to organize the grassroots to take down the American Left.  Ideal team members will have media or public affairs knowledge that will help us assemble the case against the NYT, or business savvy we can use to uncover weaknesses in the NYT’s business offerings, or social media skills to help us roll out our campaign when we’re ready.    The team will meet for 30 minutes at 8 p.m. ET on Monday or Thursday evenings over the next two or three months by videoconference (dial-in option available).  Manageable work and attendance requirements must be met to stay on the team.

Try out for the team!  If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work, please indicate your interest and your qualifications by reply mail to: cwdirect@verizon.net.

EDITORS NOTE: This Liberato.US column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

THE DIFFERENCE: DeMS13 = Hate, MAGA = Hope!

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America was at a crossroads on November 5th, 2024. They had to choose between a party that hid the fact that a President, for four years, was actually an autopen. America was run by a cabal of bureaucrats, not a duly elected leader.

A rival party’s presidential candidate, for the first time in American history, became a convicted felon.

Money was wasted, wars were started, friends like Israel were ignorded, massacres occurred globally, while the bureaucrats laughed and profited at the expense of the American people.

Policies were enacted that defied scientific truth including the greatest lie of all that a man could be a woman and vis-a-versa. This led to a society and culture in which our schools became indoctrination centers, our media outlets spewed out propaganda. Schools began to teach our children what to think, not how to think. In just four short years the beaucrats and teachers’ unions dumbed down America’s children. Universities became hot beds for socialist and Islamic terrorism.

Americans were imprisoned and many died, including 13 U.S. soldiers during the Afghanistan pull out. Businesses were closed due to a fake COVID crisis. The people suffered from a vaccine that harmed or even killed them.

Families and entire communities were destroyed during multiple hurricanes and the government did nothing to help.

Millions of criminal illegal aliens were allowed to cross our borders with the help of the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. and so-called sanctuary cities and states.

Millions of Americans lost their jobs and were replaced with cheap illegal alien workers.

Gas prices rose due to the anti-fossil fuels Green New Deal, that harmed everyone. The government actually believed in the myth that with enough electric vehicles, windmills, solar panels, regulations and mandates they could actually control the weather.

Then something miraculous happened.

A movement began to take shape. It was based upon a simple notion to take America back from the bureaucrats and return power to the people. This movement slogan was Make American Great Again. It’s leader was a man who served as President of these United States of America. It was a man who lost an election in 2019 because the party of bureaucrats stole it. But that leader would not give up and he would return once again to lead the MAGA movement.

That leader became the 47th President despite numerous assassination attempts, media propaganda and a lawfare campaign not seen before. He won against all odds.

Why? Because the people knew that he was their last best hope to save our Constitutional Republic.

Did the party of bureaucrats get loud and clear messages from the people? No.

Once the 47th President was sworn into office the party of bureaucrats turned into the DeMS13 party. They declared war on the new president in the streets, in the courts and in the halls of Congress.

This new DeMS13 party protected the criminal illegal aliens rather than we the American citizens. They voted against every bill proposed by the new president, not for political reasons, but out of spite and hate for the American people.

The DeMS13 party voted against cutting waste, fraud and abuses against Americans. They voted against tax cuts. They voted unanimously to keep the status quo of big government, more regulation, more spending, more wars and more hate.

You see the DeMS13 party got rich off of their policies. They became millionaires, as did their families, while the people suffered. The became what they imported in the millions: human traffickers, gangsters of the worst and most evil in American history.

They dug themselves in a hole so deep that it reached hell, and yet they just can’t stop digging.

But the American people have stood fast like the Patriots at Lexington and Concord. They fought back against the King of England. Let today’s Patriots fight against the DeMS13 party.

As we approach the 2026 midterm elections we have now only two parties, traitors and patriots. On the 250th anniversary of our Republic these MAGA patriots and solidify its control of the three branches of government by electing their fellow patriots. Patriots who stand for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Patriots who stand with the God of Abraham and his son Jesus of Nazareth. Patriots who are faithful parents and grandparents, and yes, great grandparents.

America wil continue to be the city on the hill, shining brightly and envied by all as a place where anyone can come to to embrace its values and traditions.

The DeMS13 party is the party of hate. The MAGA Patriots are the party of hope!

Let’s all Keep America Great!

©2025 . All rights reserved.

RELATED VIDEO: Why a Leftist Kills for Islamic Jihad, reflecting on Progressives and the ties of hate.

AMAZING: Trump Reduces U.S. Goods Trade Deficit By HALF, Falls 46 Percent in April

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Economic numbers came out this — higher personal income, lower inflation, and reduced trade deficits.

And the Democrats hate it and are upending the country to stop Trump. As yourselves why.

  • Inflation just dropped to 2.1% — BELOW expectations.
  • Personal income SURGED 0.8% in April — nearly TRIPLE what economists predicted.
  • Trade deficit cut IN HALF — the largest monthly drop on record.

U.S. Goods Trade Deficit Falls 46 Percent in April as Imports Decline

By Andrew Moran, The Epoch Times, May 31, 2025;

The U.S. goods trade deficit declined sharply in April from a record in March as the effects of front-running President Donald Trump’s tariffs faded.

According to an advance estimate from the Census Bureau, the goods trade gap plummeted 46 percent, to $87.6 billion, from the all-time high of $162.25 billion registered in March. This represented the smallest trade deficit for goods since December 2023.

While economists had anticipated a substantial slowdown, last month’s reading came in better than the consensus forecast of $141.5 billion.

Goods imports tumbled 19.8 percent, or $68.4 billion, to $276.1 billion. Exports of goods rose by 3.4 percent, or $6.3 billion, to $188.5 billion.

Advance retail and wholesale inventories were virtually unchanged at $803.5 billion and $906.9 billion, respectively.

Leading up to the president’s sweeping global tariff plans on April 2, companies had rushed to stockpile consumer goods to avoid the anticipated levies.

Declining imports are expected to bolster the GDP growth rate in the current quarter. Imports are subtracted from the GDP calculations because they measure the value of goods and services produced domestically.

Early forecasts suggest that the U.S. economy may experience a rebound in the second quarter.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s widely watched GDPNow Model points to a 3.7 percent expansion in the April–June period. This is up from the regional central bank’s 2.2 percent estimate prior to the publication of the goods trade deficit.
In the first quarter, the U.S. economy contracted by 0.2 percent—the reading was revised upward by a hair from the initial estimate of negative 0.3 percent—primarily driven by soaring imports and a modest decline in government spending.

In addition to U.S. businesses perhaps temporarily pulling back on their spending, individuals also tempered their consumption.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal spending rose 0.2 percent in April, down from the 0.7 percent increase in the previous month.
Story continues below advertisement

Personal income, however, surged at a pace that was significantly better than expected, at 0.8 percent.

The data do not signal an economy on the brink of disaster, but the numbers illustrate how tariffs can facilitate specific patterns, says Joseph Brusuelas, the chief economist and principal at RSM.
“It is an example of how the threat of higher tariffs dramatically affects spending by businesses, first in the front-running of purchases to avoid higher costs, and then in the pullback once inventories are built up,” said Brusuelas in a May 30 note.
“This data only adds to the uncertainty around the economic outlook at a time when trade policy changes on an almost daily basis.”

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Republicans Brace for the Next Wave of Big Beautiful Debates

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When Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hauled the “one, big, beautiful bill” over its first mountain — House passage — he had one request. To the GOP senators, he said, “I encourage them to modify the package that we’re sending over there as little as possible.” Thinking back over the warring factions in his chamber, he added, “Because we have to maintain that balance, and it’s a very delicate thing.” But in the days since last Thursday, it’s not clear if any Republicans, including the one in the White House, are listening.

Watching the House from a safe distance through its long nights, tense meetings, mark-ups, and ferocious jockeying for different priorities, senators sent a steady drip of commentary to the press about what they would change and language they thought could go farther. Now that the bill sits squarely in their laps, some have signaled at choppy waters ahead. While almost everyone is complimentary of the job the speaker has done, they also recognize that this is their chance to put a different mark on Donald Trump’s signature legislation.

“I want to get a deal done,” Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) insisted. “I support the president’s agenda. I support the border, I support the military, I support extending the Trump tax cuts … But [we’ve] got to live in reality here: [We’ve] got a fiscal crisis.”

Others, like Kentucky’s Rand Paul (R), have been more critical. For weeks, he’s tried to rally the troops to cut more spending. “… [T]he math doesn’t add up,” the chamber’s outspoken fiscal hawk warned. “They’re going to explode the debt by — the House says $4 trillion, the Senate’s actually been talking about exploding the debt $5 trillion.” Surely, he persisted, “there’s got to be someone left in Washington who thinks debt is wrong and deficits are wrong and wants to go in the other direction,” he said.

Johnson took the disapproval in stride. “I agree wholeheartedly with what my dear friend, Rand Paul, said. I love his conviction, and I share it,” he told Fox News’s Shannon Bream. “The national debt is … the greatest threat to our national security, and deficits are a serious problem,” the speaker said. “What I think Rand is missing on this one is the fact that we are quite serious about this,” the Louisianan emphasized. “This is the biggest spending cut in more than 30 years.”

The fault-finding isn’t a surprise. The speaker endured plenty of it from his own House circles, including perpetual nitpicker Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) who called the House package “a debt bomb ticking” before voting against it. Even the Senate’s Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) argued that the “number one goal of this reconciliation ought to be to reduce that 10-year and those annual deficits, not increase them.”

Sitting down with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins for “This Week on Capitol Hill,” the speaker was asked about the party’s concerns. Republicans say it “doesn’t go far enough,” Perkins prodded before asking for Johnson’s response.

A beat passed, and the speaker replied, “It took us many decades to get the country into the financial mess we’re in. We cannot flip a switch and fix it overnight, but,” he paused, “we have a responsibility to get us to begin to steer out of the debt crisis. This bill is truly historic in its scope and what it does for the first time in history.” Johnson continued, “This legislation is written so that we save $1.9 trillion with a ‘T’ in taxpayer funds. There’s never been anything like that. It’s twice as much as the last time Congress even attempted such a thing, which is more than 30 years ago. So truly historic in turning the aircraft carrier and beginning us on a new trajectory,” the speaker said, referring to his oft-invoked metaphor.

To those like Paul who complain that the debt ceiling hike only enables more spending, Johnson is emphatic. “We’re going to extend the debt limit — not because we’re going to spend more money, but because you have to do that to show the bond markets and the rest of the world that America is good on its debts. That must be done. Everybody knows that.” He invoked the White House. “President Trump is insistent about it. He says we’re not raising a ceiling to spend it. We’re extending the deadline so that we can get our fiscal house in order. This is a really important thing.”

And while the president has been enthusiastic about the House’s package, he created plenty of heartburn Sunday evening when he seemed to imply that the upper chamber should have its way with the legislation. “I want the Senate and the senators to make the changes they want,” Trump told reporters over the weekend. “It will go back to the House, and we’ll see if we can get them. In some cases, the changes may be something I’d agree with, to be honest.” Hinting at conversations he’s probably had with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), the president acknowledged there would be changes. “Some will be minor, some will be fairly significant.”

Reminded that the goal is to get the bill to his desk by July 4, Trump nodded. “I think it’s going to get there,” adding that Johnson and Thune “have done a fantastic job.”

While the two sides gather their energy for the reconciliation fight’s next round, the speaker has spent his time hammering away at the disinformation Democrats keep spewing about the bill’s supposed fallout. Repeating what he’s said a hundred times in a hundred different ways, Johnson reiterated, “We are not cutting Medicaid in this package. There’s a lot of [dishonesty] out there about this.” Pointing to one of the most outrageous examples of fraud, waste, and abuse, he quantified a problem that many suspected but didn’t have hard numbers on.

“[We’ve] got more than 1.4 million illegal aliens on Medicaid,” the speaker warned. “Medicaid is not intended for non-U.S. citizens. It’s intended for the most vulnerable populations of Americans, which is pregnant women and young single mothers, the disabled, the elderly. They are protected in what we’re doing, because we’re preserving the resources for those who need it most.” Then he put the spotlight on the other problem, the legal, work-capable citizens who were added to the rolls under Joe Biden. “You’re talking about 4.8 million able-bodied workers, young men, for example, who are on Medicaid and not working. They are choosing not to work when they can. That is called fraud. They are cheating the system. When you root out those kinds of abuses,” he stressed, “you save the resources that are so desperately needed by the people who deserve it and need it most. That’s what we’re doing.”

And it’s not just the Medicaid soundbites they’ll have to confront but the headlines about the proposal’s “score,” as in how much the government’s financial experts at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) believe it will add to the deficit. But, as the Louisiana leader cautioned, there’s almost always more to that than meets the eye. “The last time they scored a big bill like this was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the first Trump administration,” he explained to Perkins. “They were $1 trillion off in their calculations.”

To put the process into perspective, he noted that “the CBO is run by Democrats,” adding that “84% of the employees there who are crunching the numbers are donors to big Democrats like [Massachusetts Senator] Elizabeth Warren and [Senator] Bernie Sanders. So we dismiss that,” the speaker said. “What they do not count for is the pro-growth policies in this bill that [are] going to grow the U.S. economy. And that is how, in combination with savings, we’re going to get ourselves out of this mess.”

Still, Johnson underscored, as he has so many times, “We value everybody’s opinion. … You know, my background is in constitutional law. I’m a student of what the Founders originally intended for how the process was supposed to work. The United States Congress is the greatest deliberative body in the history of the world. It works so well, but only if it’s done as designed.” He thought back on his predecessors and other leaders who drafted major legislation “in a back room, by quite literally a handful of people. I didn’t want to do that, because I think we’ve got to get back to what was intended.” Everyone should have a voice, he insisted. Does that take longer? Absolutely. Is it more painful? His chamber just proved it was. “But it’s always worth it in the end … and it makes a better product.”

What will happen to the 1,100 pages he poured over for months? The speaker doesn’t know. But there’s one tool he’d suggest for everyone facing these big obstacles: “prayer.” “It’s not been in vogue in Washington for quite some time,” Johnson reflected, “and I’m just bringing it back. It seems like some huge innovation, but that’s exactly how our nation began. And I think we do well to remember it.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2025 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Rick Scott Tells Charlie Kirk He Won’t Support Trump’s ‘Beautiful Bill’ In Present Form

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Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott told Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Tuesday that he would not vote for President Donald Trump’s House-passed “one big, beautiful bill” in its present form.

Trump gave Senate Republicans permission to make major changes to the bill on Sunday as some GOP senators are warning that the package is dead-on-arrival without significant reforms. On “The Charlie Kirk Show,” Scott said he would “absolutely” vote against it without additional spending cuts.

WATCH:

“If they brought it to the floor like right now, there’s not a chance it’ll get the 51 votes it needs … Look we all know we have to balance the budget,” Scott said. “Look, we know that it’s getting harder to sell our treasuries, we know interest rates are going up. We want to get interest rates down, we can get inflation under control. That means balance the budget.”

Kirk said Scott’s opposition to the current bill was “a big statement.” The host asked the senator what it would take to get the bill to pass and about the reconciliation process.

“Charlie, we’ll change it. We’ll have our own bill and … it will go back to a conference or just go back to the House and they’ll pass our bill. But I believe we’re going to dramatically reduce mandatory spending to get this budget balance in a short period of time, which is what we have to do,” Scott told Kirk. “It’s what we promise. I just went through my election just like President Trump did. We all promise we’re going to balance the budget. We are going to set the process to quickly balance in this budget.”

GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky are among the fiscal hawks influencing the deliberation about spending deficits. Johnson has also noted Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Scott as senators who are seeking further spending cuts in the bill.

Johnson is advocating for the government to return to pre-pandemic spending levels — a nearly $6 trillion reduction — and calls the current bill “completely unacceptable.”

While House Republicans felt pressured to accept the bill due to the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, numerous Senators do not.

“In the House, President Trump can threaten a primary, and those guys want to keep their seats. I understand the pressure. Can’t pressure me that way,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday. “I’m not going to vote for it with minor tweaks. I think everybody’s kind of happy talking and ‘get together and pull together and gotta do this’ and that crap. That’s the way they’re going to try to make it go.”

Paul has said that he opposes the bill based on language that will increase the debt limit by $4 trillion over the next two years — something Trump has demanded.

“I’ve told them if they’ll take the debt ceiling off of it, I’ll consider voting for it,” Paul told reporters on Thursday. “We’ve never, ever voted to raise the debt ceiling this much. It’ll be a historic increase. I think it’s not good for conservatives to be on record supporting a $4 (trillion) or $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling.”

“If they were to take the debt ceiling off of it and have the tax reductions and spending reductions, I’d probably vote for that,” Paul added. “The spending reductions are imperfect, and I think wimpy, but I’d still vote for the package if I didn’t have to vote to raise the debt ceiling.”

AUTHOR

Jason Cohen

DCNF Reporter/Clipper

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Senate Should Make House’s Big, Beautiful Bill Bigger, More Beautiful

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On Thursday at 6:54 a.m., the U.S. House passed the Trump and Republican-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Yup, that is this 1,118-page measure’s official title.) By a snare-drum-tight, 215-214 vote, all but three Republicans and zero Democrats chose to give Americans $4.1 trillion in tax relief, along with their bacon, eggs, tea, and toast.

President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (both Louisiana Republicans) were the chefs who moved this elaborate meal from kitchen to table. It has plenty to nourish this economy:

  • The One Big, Beautiful Bill makes permanent the rates in the Trump/GOP Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Every House Democrat voted to let these lower rates lapse on January 1 and slap average taxpayers with a 22% tax hike.
  • As promised: No taxes on tips or overtime, plus tax leniency for seniors.
  • Deregulation and incentives should boost fuel production, restore energy dominance, slash gasoline prices, and curb electric bills.
  • “The House did a good job stopping massive new subsidies for solar and wind projects,” wrote reliable-energy advocate Alex Epstein. He urges lawmakers to “terminate the Green New Scam once and for all.”
  • The One Big, Beautiful Bill expands health savings accounts, enhances patient power, and bolsters medical freedom.

There is lots to like here, and the Senate should make this bill bigger and more beautiful.

First, senators should include something the House neglected: A 15% tax for companies that manufacture in America. This lower rate would be 28.6% lighter than today’s 21% corporate levy. This dramatically would encourage firms to produce domestically, rather than overseas. This would make it much cheaper to build U.S. factories and hire Americans than to create jobs abroad.

Conversely, enterprises that manufacture in China will find it far easier to thumb their noses at the Chinese Communist Party, come home, and keep 85% of their earnings.

The Cato Institute reports a 15% U.S. corporate rate would ease domestic manufacturers from paying Earth’s 24th lowest business levy to enjoying its sixth-lightest such tax. This is the fast lane to reindustrialization, rather than the traffic jam of higher tariffs. The latter merely hikes taxes on U.S. importers, who typically raise U.S. consumers’ price tags.

Second, some Senate Republicans demand deeper spending cuts, as they should. This makes other GOP senators sweat. Compromise: Freeze federal discretionary expenditures for one year. Pressing the pause button on such outlays for 12 months—while lowering or raising specific disbursements as necessary beneath that ceiling—would save taxpayers $49 billion next year alone.

Finally, some Senate Republicans are nervous about keeping the House’s work requirements on able-bodied Medicaid recipients. When Democrats scream that such rules are “worse than Hitler,” Republicans should remind them that former President Bill Clinton signed a work requirement within 1996’s bipartisan welfare reform law.

Republicans should quote these words to Democrats: “Since 1987, when I first proposed an overhaul of the welfare system, I have argued that welfare recipients should be required to work … I was pilloried by many of my friends back then for even suggesting the idea of requiring work. Today, I think everyone here believes that work should be the premise of our welfare system.”

That statement was uttered in 1996 by none other than Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

Johnson frets that the Senate’s fingerprints could doom his chamber’s bill. He implores senators to “fine tune this product as little as possible.” The speaker told Punchbowl that guiding Thursday’s legislation through the House was like “crossing over the Grand Canyon on a piece of dental floss.” Too many Senate amendments could snap that floss on final passage.

Trump sounds far more open to letting the Senate have its way with Johnson’s package.

“I want the Senate and the senators to make the changes they want,” Trump told journalists on Sunday. “It will go back to the House, and we’ll see if we can get them. In some cases, the changes may be something I’d agree with, to be honest.”

“We’ve had a very good response from the Senate,” Trump added, “and I don’t know how Democrats can’t vote for it.”

And yet Democrats won’t vote for it.

The president is kidding himself if he expects even one Democrat to support his A-No. 1 legislative priority, which makes permanent the Trump-45 tax cuts. The only thing that Democrats hate more than tax cuts is Trump himself. Their disdain for him is hot enough to melt the vaults of Fort Knox.

House Democrats turned 428 thumbs down on the One Big, Beautiful Bill, and if they had more thumbs handy, they likewise would have deployed them all. Senate Democrats will do the same, and there is no point whatsoever in Republicans wasting any time trying to rally their Democrat colleagues behind this bill. GOP senators would have better luck teaching lobsters to sing.

If the Senate’s version of this bill drifts too far from the House blueprint, the latter need not accept it as is.

A House-Senate conference committee (remember those?) would help both chambers settle their differences and adopt middle-ground language. If necessary, Trump is a master at patting enough backs and twisting enough arms to transform the One Big, Beautiful Bill into something giant and gorgeous before it reaches the Resolute Desk for his signature.

Until then, no more congressional vacations, and lots more late nights and weekend sessions until this whole thing is wrapped up. The economy needs a strong infusion of certainty already, and the American people have waited long enough for tax relief.

The sooner Donald Trump’s big, beautiful John Hancock is on this legislation, the better.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

AUTHOR

Deroy Murdock

Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News contributor and a contributing editor with The American Spectator.

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4 Times Mike Johnson Has Beaten the Odds

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has consistently beaten the odds throughout the first five months of the 119th Congress, settling seemingly irreconcilable disagreements within the fractious House Republican Conference to advance President Donald Trump’s highest priorities.

And Johnson, R-La., hasn’t forgotten to remind the public.

“I know some of y’all smiled and probably mocked me a little bit when I said early on we were going to do this by Memorial Day,” the Louisiana lawmaker told reporters Thursday after passing the budget reconciliation bill through the House.

To be sure, the House of Representatives has not delivered a major piece of legislation to the president’s desk so far, nor has it codified any of the president’s major executive orders, with the exception of approving the official renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America.”

But Johnson, whose gavel was at risk in January at the start of the new Congress, has proven himself capable of herding his caucus at the most important moments.

1. Holding Onto His Gavel

After being somewhat of a divisive figure in the 118th Congress, Johnson’s first fight in the House in early January at the opening of the 119th Congress was to persuade his party to back him almost unanimously to be speaker again.

Three Republican representatives—Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Keith Self of Texas, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—voted against him in the first round of votes.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was considered a possible “no” vote against Johnson but ended up voting for the Louisiana Republican.

But through negotiations on the floor, as well as by calling in the president to speak with GOP members, Johnson was able to hold on to his gavel as he won over holdouts.

Trump played a hands-on role in it as well, calling Norman and Self from a golf course to persuade them that Johnson was the right man for the gavel.

2. Continuing Resolution

One of Johnson’s earliest tests was passing a continuing resolution to continue spending levels from former President Joe Biden’s term and prevent a government shutdown.

Given Republicans’ reluctance to continue Biden’s policies—especially amid early excitement over the Department of Government Efficiency—winning over conservatives to vote for a continuing resolution was no easy task.

But Johnson was able to win over unlikely allies to this effort. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., even joined Johnson at a press conference to argue for the stopgap funding bill as a way to sustain Trump’s and DOGE’s momentum.

It ultimately passed 217-213, with Massie as the only Republican voting against it. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democrat to vote for it.

3. Senate Budget Plan

After Trump gave his endorsement to the Senate’s budget resolution in April, Johnson was forced to win over fiscal conservatives to vote for a plan that many of them felt was inadequate in terms of spending-cut targets.

Johnson accomplished that primarily by persuading the fiscal hawks that the budget plan—a necessary first step before budget reconciliation—was not something to fret over in the grand scheme of things.

Asked at the time what his case to these holdouts was, Johnson said, “Look, the resolution is not the law itself. The resolution continues the process; it’s a necessary step. So, the real deliberation and the consensus has to be built around the bill itself, and that’s what I’ve told everybody.”

Johnson won over every member of his party except for Massie and Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana.

In Roy’s telling, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., made promises to him that the eventual budget reconciliation would include major spending cuts and reforms of Biden-era green energy subsidies and Medicaid expansion.

Johnson also reportedly told the fiscal hawks that they could vote him out as speaker if he didn’t stay true to his promises of fiscal conservatism in the bill, according to Politico.

4. Reconciling SALT and the Freedom Caucus

Johnson’s most recent triumph was winning the vote of holdouts from two stubborn factions—advocates of a higher cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions on federal taxes and members of the House Freedom Caucus.

A SALT deduction allows residents in high-tax states to deduct their state and local taxes on their federal tax returns. Under Trump’s first-term 2017 tax cuts—which are set to expire at the end of the year—taxpayers can deduct up to $10,000 on their returns under SALT.

Johnson at first offered this group of blue state Republicans a $30,000 cap, which most of them rejected as insufficient.

However, on Tuesday night—barely over a day before the reconciliation floor vote, Johnson was able to satisfy the SALT advocates with a $40,000 cap with limitations on income levels for those eligible for the deduction.

That’s an extremely generous offer that quadruples the SALT deduction, but one that might not stand once it goes to the Senate.

But Johnson’s real triumph came in managing to win over Freedom Caucus’ fiscal conservatives after appeasing the SALT caucus.

On Wednesday morning, the final day of negotiations, Harris said, “I think actually we’re further away from a deal, because that SALT cap increase, I think, upset a lot of conservatives.”

Nevertheless, Johnson was able to win over the Freedom Caucus members by bringing the bill to the floor for consideration Wednesday night and coordinating with the White House to persuade the holdouts.

Johnson also released a final draft from the House Rules Committee that included key concessions to the Freedom Caucus, such as earlier implementation of Medicaid work requirements (2026 rather than 2029), and an earlier expiration of Biden’s green energy tax credits.

The result was an odds-defying triumph for House leadership, as only two Republicans, Massie and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against the bill. Harris voted “present.”

AUTHOR

George Caldwell

George Caldwell is a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal. Send an email to George. George on X: .

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EXCLUSIVE: Plurality Of Swing Voters Support Trump’s China Tariffs, New Poll Reveals

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A new survey from the Protecting America Initiative (PAI) shows a plurality of voters in 19 key swing districts back Trump’s tariffs and trust him more than major retailers to stand up for American workers.

The respondents generally place the blame for trade issues on corporate retailers and believe the companies, not consumers, should bear the cost of any price hikes, according to the poll, first reported Wednesday by the Daily Caller. Many swing district voters blame retailers for the outsourcing that likely fueled U.S. dependence on China and believe retailers should bring jobs back home.

The survey, conducted from May 1–6, polled 1,000 likely voters across 19 battleground districts identified by the Cook Political Report, with a margin of error of ±2%. It included 636 live phone interviews and 364 text-to-web surveys, with the data weighted to reflect demographics and voter registration trends.

The findings highlight a divide in trust when it comes to defending American workers as 43% of voters trust Trump while 39% trust retail CEOs.

Seventy-eight percent say retailers should absorb price increases tied to outsourcing and tariffs. This view cuts across political, age, and demographic lines, reflecting broad frustration with corporations appearing to offload the consequences of their decisions onto consumers.

Swing voters expressed deep skepticism toward major retailers.

Seventy-five percent of voters agree retailers exploited COVID-19 by using the pandemic as an excuse to raise prices, post record profits, and never bring costs back down, with 50% strongly agreeing, according to the PAI poll.

Now, that same 75% worry these companies will exploit tariff-related price hikes to keep overcharging consumers.

Eighty-three percent support investigations into corporate price gouging, and 78% back tough penalties for companies that used the pandemic or trade tensions to inflate prices, according to the PAI poll.

That concern may already be playing out. A viral TikTok video appears to show Hallmark hiking prices on its Kansas-made Christmas ornaments while blaming the increase on tariffs.

Many voters say they’re still paying pandemic-era prices even though the crisis is over. A full 84% agree it is time to investigate who’s profiting and why prices haven’t come down, including 64% who strongly agree.

PAI polling also shows that 81% of voters are more likely to support candidates who call for investigations, while 79% favor those who back legislation to rein in corporate price gouging.

AUTHOR

Ashley Brasfield

Reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

American Manufacturers Overwhelmed With Orders After Trump’s Tariff Crackdown On China

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American manufacturers are seeing a surge in demand as President Donald Trump’s tariffs force companies to reconsider doing business in China.

Trump’s tariffs, including a 145% levy on Chinese goods, are causing American-made products to be more competitive in the market. As a result, many small and medium manufacturers are experiencing a surge in demand and are preparing to ramp up production and hire new workers.

Jergens Inc., a midwestern toolmaker with less than 500 employees, says it’s “going like gangbusters” trying to keep up with demand, The Wall Street Journal reported. They are seeing an influx of orders from customers trying to avoid import tariffs, along with steady defense-related demand.

“We are running 24 hours a day, seven days a week” said Jergens president Jack Schron, according to the Journal. “We are swamped.”

Grand River Rubber & Plastics, a plastics and rubber manufacturer in Ohio, says customers that once offshored to China are reversing course, the Journal noted. Two buyers who left years ago returned within days of each other and two new oil filter manufacturers have already placed orders. The company’s new business could amount to $5 million annually, roughly 10% of Grand River’s revenue.

The spike in new business reported by many American manufacturers coincides with a sharp decrease in Chinese manufacturing.  When Trump announced the tariffs last month, he predicted American businesses and consumers would both benefit.

“Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country, and you see it happening already. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base,” Trump has said. “We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers. And ultimately, more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers.”

Even as the president insists prices will fall, economists and politicians warn his tariffs could sharply raise costs for American consumers, CNBC reported. However, executives at SafeSource Direct, a Louisiana-based medical products manufacturer, say prices are likely to decline as domestic production ramps up, according to the Journal.

SafeSource recently increased the number of production lines from two to eight, each making over 20,000 rubber gloves an hour. As new operations become more efficient, they expect costs to decrease significantly.

“We think we can get extremely close to Asian prices,” said Steve Mott, a partner with the company, as reported by the Journal.

AUTHOR

Floyd Buford

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLE: China Erupts: Furious Workers Riot As Factories Collapse Under Trump’s Tariffs

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.