THE DIFFERENCE: DeMS13 = Hate, MAGA = Hope!

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

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

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

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

POSTS ON X:

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

Republicans Brace for the Next Wave of Big Beautiful Debates

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

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.

House GOP Looks To Set $9.4 Billion DOGE Cuts In Stone

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Wednesday that the next agenda item on House Republicans’ calendar could be passing legislation aimed at slashing more government spending.

Johnson said Wednesday that House Republicans are “eager” to codify cuts to congressionally-appropriated funding made by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) following the House’s passage of the president’s “one big, beautiful bill” on May 22. The White House will send a $9.4 billion rescissions package to Congress to codify some of DOGE’s work as early as next Tuesday, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The rescissions package will include $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting which partly funds the National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in addition to an $8.3 billion spending reduction to foreign aid agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Though the cuts represent a small amount of discretionary spending, GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized these programs, alleging they have recklessly spent taxpayer money and propagated left-wing ideology.

Axios was first to report the White House’s plans to transmit the rescissions package to Congress.

Both chambers of Congress can pass the rescissions package by a simple majority vote, allowing GOP lawmakers to effectively bypass Democratic opposition. Once the White House sends the DOGE cuts to the House and Senate, lawmakers will have 45 days to vote on clawing back the funding.

Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will need virtually every Republican to get behind the rescission effort due to both conferences’ slim majorities.

“The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand,” the House Speaker wrote on X Wednesday morning.

Johnson also argued that House Republicans’ passage of the president’s sweeping tax and spending package builds on DOGE’s work to eliminate wasteful spending. The bill notably achieves more than a $1.6 trillion decrease in mandatory spending over a ten-year period in part by reforming Medicaid and food assistance programs.

The House-drafted bill notably bars notably 1.4 million illegal migrants from receiving Medicaid coverage at the state level and implements work requirements that require certain able-bodied, childless adults to work or volunteer 20 hours a week in order to enroll in the program.

Codifying the DOGE cuts, on the other hand, would reduce discretionary spending, which Congress votes on every year through the appropriations process. Johnson said House Republicans will “swiftly implement” Trump’s budget request for the fiscal year 2026 process, which also outlined more than $160 billion in cuts to discretionary spending.

Musk, who recently announced a step back from overseeing DOGE, has conversely suggested that the deficit increases in the president’s landmark bill far outweigh the floated spending cuts and will add to the national debt over a ten-year window.

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS News in an interview that is slated to air in full Sunday.

Both Trump administration officials and congressional proponents of the president’s legislation have panned this view, arguing that a combination of economic growth generated by the bill’s tax cut provisions and undoing Biden-era regulations will shrink budget deficits.

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has championed clawing back funding through her purview on a DOGE-focused House oversight panel, said Wednesday that the initial rescissions package should be one of many that House Republicans ultimately pass.

“Personally I want to pass DOGE cuts every single week until the bloated out of control government is reigned back in,” Greene wrote on X. “As a country, we cannot survive our national debt and honestly, we may be past the point of return. We should be aggressively attacking our debt and aggressively, cutting all waste fraud, and abuse and unnecessary programs.”

“Our future literally is in peril,” Greene added.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the confirmation from the White House Office of Management and Budget.

AUTHOR

Adam Pack

Congressional Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: ‘Whipping Boy’: Musk Says DOGE Fought Massive ‘Uphill Battle,’ Ended Up Getting Blamed For Everything Bad

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.

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

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

Senators Worry About Spending, Debt Increase In Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill’s Policies Prove Popular In Key House Districts, Poll Shows

GOP Rep Expresses Optimism That Senate Will Seek ‘Big, Beautiful’ Spending Cuts In Trump Bill

AOC Doubles Down On Political Loser As Dems Seek To Ditch ‘Abolish ICE’ Bandwagon

Illegal Immigrant Arrested For Alleged Jet Ski Hit-And-Run That Killed Teenager

Legacy Media’s Latest Complaint Couldn’t Be More Out Of Touch

Christians Hold Worship Event at Park in Seattle; Antifa Attacks, Far-Left Mayor Condemns Christians

How antisemitism became mandatory for liberals

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.

TAKE ACTION: Urge The 53 Republican U.S. Senators Not To Botch The One Big, Beautiful Bill!

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

TAKE ACTION: Send then your email, now!

Click here to send your email to urge 53 Republican US Senators to use great wisdom in the changes they make to the House version of the One Big, Beautiful Bill.

Click here to share at X.

The Republican US House of Representatives approved its version of the budget resolution called the One Big, Beautiful Bill.  The bill passed by a vote of 215-214 on May 22, 2025.

Millions of Americans, including many who are not registered Republicans, are watching to see if the United States Senate can fulfill GOP campaign promises made during the 2024 elections.  They are looking forward to with great anticipation the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act renewal, border and immigration reform, energy deregulation, increased military spending, some new tax exemptions, etc.

Now that the US House has approved its version of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, voter expectations to see these promises kept are very high.

Disappointing voters, especially non-GOP voters, will have grave consequences for Republicans in the 2026 elections and beyond if the senate plays too hard and makes big changes to the One Big, Beautiful Bill.

GOP Senators know the slim margin in the House. They know the changes that would make it dead on arrival for a final vote on the bill.

Florida Family Association has prepared an email for you to send to urge 53 Republican US Senators to use great wisdom in the changes they make so as not to botch this historic opportunity to approve the One Big, Beautiful Bill that has everything voters expect and Americans and America need to be safe and prosperous.

To send your email, please click the following link, enter your name and email address then click the “Send Your Message” button. You may also edit the subject or message text if you wish.

Click here to send your email to urge 53 US Republican Senators to use great wisdom in the changes they make to the House version of the One Big, Beautiful Bill.

©2025 . All rights reserved.

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

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

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.

RELATED ARTICLES:

DOGE Says More Than 25,000 Federal Contracts And Grants Canceled So Far

GOP Leadership on Hill Gets Back to Work on Budget Resolution

Trump-Backed Budget Resolution Clears Senate Hurdle on Party-Line Vote

Johnson Holds Life-or-Death Budget Negotiations

Supreme Court Gives Trump a Quiet, Yet Potentially Large Victory Against Administrative State

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

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

AWED MEDIA BALANCED NEWS: We cover Energy to Education to Elections — and more!

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Welcome! We cover Energy to Education to Elections — and more!

Here is the link for this issue, so please share it on social media.

Checkout the 2025, 2024, & 2023  archives, plus asterisked items below.

Note: today’s Newsletter is a day later due to Memorial Day being on Monday…

— This Newsletter’s Articles, by Topic —

This Issue’s Best of the Best:

*** New White House EO: Restoring Gold Standard Science

*** The Decivilizing of America

*** Everyone’s Using AI to Cheat at School. That’s a Good Thing.

*** President Trump Signs Executive Order on Nuclear Power

*** Bryce: Nuclear Conversion

*** The Achilles Heel of Wind and Solar

*** Chinese Kill Switches found in US Solar Facilities

*** Epstein: Why the proposed “phaseout” of IRA subsidies is unacceptable

*** Victory for energy freedom: the House (finally) limits IRA subsidies

*** New report: The true affordability of net zero

*** Toyota is developing a car that runs on water

*** Everything Announced at Google IO 2025 Summarized in 10 Minutes

*** 3800± peer reviewed reports and studies re adverse effects post COVID vaccination

*** Study: Twelve-Month All-Cause Mortality after Initial COVID-19 Vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech or mRNA-1273 among Adults Living in Florida

*** BREAKING: Hospital Murder Labeled as COVID-19 Death is Going to Jury Trial

*** New York Times on Climate Change: Two Candidates for Quote of the Day

*** Trump Administration Targets Excessive State Climate Laws

*** Study: Are Climate Model Forecasts Useful for Policy Making?

*** Big US cities are sinking. This map shows where the problem is the worst.

*** Contract Requirements: Full Disclosure

Secondary Education Related:

*** Report: The Key to Fixing the US Education System

*** Federal judge blocks Trump admin moves to dismantle Dept of Education

How to Stop Students from Cheating with AI

Higher Education Related:

*** Everyone’s Using AI to Cheat at School. That’s a Good Thing.

*** Professionalization Is Killing College Sports

Exposing the true nature of ‘campus investigations’

Artificial Intelligence:

*** Everything Announced at Google IO 2025 Summarized in 10 Minutes

General AI May Revolutionize Neurology—Or It Might Be Bad

China’s AI-Powered Humanoid Robots Aim to Transform Manufacturing

Greed Energy Economics:

*** Epstein: Why the proposed “phaseout” of IRA subsidies is unacceptable

*** Victory for energy freedom: the House (finally) limits IRA subsidies

*** New report: The true affordability of net zero

The truth about power bill increases

Unreliables (General):

*** The Achilles Heel of Wind and Solar

Economic prosperity demands continuous and uninterruptible electricity

Wasting Away in Wind-and-Solarville

Wind Energy — Offshore:

*** Allies Sue Federal Agencies Over Unlawful Authorization of Empire Wind Project

Letitia James has ‘no leg to stand on’ in lawsuit against Trump offshore wind order, experts say

Rest in Peace, Nils Stolpe, Fisheries Guru

After nearly four decades, Jerry Schill bows out of N.C. Fisheries Association

Trump administration lifts stop-work order on $5 billion NY offshore wind project

America’s Fishermen Used as a Poker Chip Again

‘EDF reviewing clean energy projects after setbacks’

Solar Energy:

*** Chinese Kill Switches found in US Solar Facilities

A US candidate for the world’s worst Solar project: Ivanpah

Nuclear Energy:

*** President Trump Signs Executive Order on Nuclear Power

*** Bryce: Nuclear Conversion

*** Belgium abandons nuclear exit plans

Denmark goes back to nukes

Letter to DOE Secretary Chris Wright about President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill

Fossil Fuel Energy:

DOE finds US LNG exports in nation’s best interest, reversing prior DOE conclusion

Electric Vehicles (EVs):

*** Toyota is developing a car that runs on water

Misc Energy:

*** NERC: 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment

China Inc. Has the West in a Strategic Metals Stranglehold

Manmade Global Warming — Some Deceptions:

*** Trump Administration Targets Excessive State Climate Laws

*** Study: Are Climate Model Forecasts Useful for Policy Making?

EPA Should Consider the Harm of Regulating Greenhouse Gases

Almost All ‘Extreme’ UK Temperature Highs Recorded at Junk Sites with Massive Possible Errors

Observation vs. Supposition

Manmade Global Warming — The Science:

*** New York Times on Climate Change: Two Candidates for Quote of the Day

Math Teacher, Sole Climate Scientist Unlock Mystery of Recent Global Warming Spike

Manmade Global Warming — Misc:

*** Big US cities are sinking. This map shows where the problem is the worst.

*** Contract Requirements: Full Disclosure

New Book: Climate Truths is now available for pre-order!

The amount of money wasted on net-zero green policies worldwide is staggering!

US Election:

*** USCIS Deploys Common Sense Tools to Verify Voters

74% VOTING SYSTEM ERROR- Saved By Hand Count!

Texas AG Announces arrest of Judge, five other Officials on vote harvesting charges

US Federal Agencies:

Unbridled: How Massive Pentagon Spending Happens by Design

Trump:

*** Trump’s First 100 Days: A Gold Standard for the History Books

*** 20 Reasons Why Congress Must Unite Behind the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Has ‘Excellent News for Families’: FRC Analyst

Dr. Malone: WWF: President Trump vs. Harvard

Misc US Politics:

*** Epstein: How Republicans got roped into a deal that keeps the IRA—and why there’s still time to fix it

Uncle Sam’s $8 Trillion Dilemma

Request for Public Comments Regarding Technology Platform Censorship

Societally US:

*** The Decivilizing of America

*** Parents, Pay Attention! This Viral App Is Convincing Teens They’re Trans

*** Our Feckless Nature Fakery

Reviews: The Dark Side of Hunger Mountain

1.2 Billion social media users’ data stolen in historic breach

Science:

*** New White House EO: Restoring Gold Standard Science

Health:

States Push to Allow Ivermectin to be Sold Over the Counter

Study: We Emit a Visible Light That Vanishes When We Die

COVID-19 — Misc:

*** 3800± peer reviewed reports and studies re adverse effects post COVID vaccination

*** Study: Twelve-Month All-Cause Mortality after Initial COVID-19 Vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech or mRNA-1273 among Adults Living in Florida

*** BREAKING: Hospital Murder Labeled as COVID-19 Death is Going to Jury Trial

*** New Documentary – Follow The Silenced

Report: US officials delayed warning public about heart inflammation risk from COVID shot

Peer-Reviewed Study: Quantitative Analysis of Nucleic Acid Content in Spikevax (Moderna) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer) COVID-19 Vaccine Lots

Israel/Ukraine:

Pray for the safety of the Israeli people

Latest Developments in Israel

Pray for the safety of the Ukrainian people

A well-rated source to make a Ukraine donation

Latest Developments in Ukraine

Please use social media, etc. to pass on this Newsletter to other open-minded citizens…If you’d like to be added to (or unsubscribe from) the distribution of our popular, free, worldwide Media Balance Newsletter, simply send me an email saying that.

Note 1: We recommend reading the Newsletter on your computer, not your phone, as some documents (e.g., PDFs) are much easier to read on a large computer screen… We’ve tried to use common fonts, etc. to minimize display issues.

Note 2: For past Newsletter issues see the archives from 2022, 2023, 2024, & 2025. To accommodate numerous requests received about prior articles over all fourteen plus years of the Newsletter, we’ve put this together — where you can search ALL prior issues, by year. For a background about how the Newsletter is put together, etc., please read this.

Note 3: See this extensive list of reasonable books on climate change. As a parallel effort, we have also put together a list of some good books related to industrial wind energy. Both topics are also extensively covered on my website: WiseEnergy.org.

Note 4: I am not an attorney or a physician, so no material appearing in any of the Newsletters (or any of my websites) should be construed as giving legal or medical advice. My recommendation has always been: consult a competent, licensed attorney when you are involved with legal issues, and consult a competent physician regarding medical matters.

Copyright © 2025; Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (see WiseEnergy.org).

‘Make The Changes They Want’: Trump Gives Senate Go-Ahead To Take Red Pen To ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

President Donald Trump gave Senate Republicans permission to make major changes to the House-passed “one big, beautiful bill” Sunday evening, throwing a wrench in Speaker Mike Johnson’s efforts to persuade his upper chamber colleagues to refrain from significantly rewriting the legislation.

Trump’s approval of Senate Republicans making “the changes they want” in the sweeping tax and spending bill comes as some GOP senators are warning that the package is dead-on-arrival without major reforms. Johnson has been urging the Senate to alter the legislation as little as possible given the “delicate” consensus House GOP leadership crafted on the president’s landmark bill, which passed the House by a narrow one-vote margin Thursday.

“I want the Senate and the senators to make the changes they want,” Trump told reporters Sunday evening. “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 and I don’t know how Democrats can’t vote for it,” Trump continued. “I think they [Senate Republicans] are going to have changes. Some will be minor, some will be fairly significant.”

Congressional Republicans are moving quickly to meet the White House’s July 4 deadline to pass Trump’s domestic policy agenda in the budget reconciliation bill. Assuming the Senate modifies the House-passed legislation, House Republicans will have to vote on the bill for a second time before sending the package to the president’s desk.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Johnson in a May 9 letter that GOP lawmakers have little time to waste to pass the president’s tax and spending bill because Congress must raise the statutory debt limit by mid-July to avert the government defaulting on its $37 trillion debt. House and Senate Republicans are incorporating a debt ceiling hike in the bill, but disagree over the amount Congress should borrow thus far.

Senate Republicans are suggesting they will take a red pen to major portions of the House-drafted bill, including provisions that significantly raise the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, aggressively phase out tax breaks for green energy projects and fail to make certain tax cuts permanent.

Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a leading deficit hawk, is also warning that he has the votes to stop the momentum on quickly passing a Senate-amended package if the upper chamber does not consent to steeper spending cuts.

However, Speaker Johnson is warning that significantly changing the legislation’s text could jeopardize the amended-bill’s passage in the House.

“I think we reached a good equilibrium point over more than a year of discussion and negotiation and planning for our big reconciliation bill,” Johnson told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on Sunday morning. “We balanced the interest of a very diverse Republican caucus.”

“We’re one team here — House and Senate Republicans —working together because we must. We have small margins in both chambers,” Johnson added. “I encourage them to modify the package that we’re sending over there as little as possible, because we have to maintain that balance, and it’s a very delicate thing.”

Several groups in the House Republican conference, including the House Freedom Caucus, claimed they only supplied the votes to pass the budget reconciliation bill after House GOP leadership signed off on last-minute changes to the package incorporating key conservative policy wins. The conservative flank is signaling that they “will not look kindly” on the Senate stripping those provisions out of the bill.

Trump has remained publicly upbeat about his landmark bill’s advancement through Congress, even as lawmakers engage in heated debates over the granular details of the legislative package.

“I think it’s going to get there,” Trump told reporters Sunday.” [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune and Mike Johnson have done a fantastic job.”

AUTHOR

Adam Pack

Congressional Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Latest Poll Numbers Have Dems Reeling: They’re Losing Their Own Voters to Trump

GOP Rep Expresses Optimism That Senate Will Seek ‘Big, Beautiful’ Spending Cuts In Trump Bill

Biden Aide Admits Staff Did ‘Undemocratic Things’ Because Trump Was ‘Existential Threat To Democracy’

American Charged With Attempted Firebombing Of Tel Aviv U.S. Embassy

Obama Chief Of Staff Blasts Dem Party As ‘Weak And Woke’ Amid Rumors He May Seek White House

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.

4 Times Mike Johnson Has Beaten the Odds

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

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: .

RELATED ARTICLES:

Trump-Backed Budget Resolution Clears Senate Hurdle on Party-Line Vote

Johnson Seeks to Quell Conservatives’ Mutiny Against Budget Plan

House Passes ‘Big, Beautiful’ Budget Bill

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

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

Buying a New HVAC System

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Critically Thinking about a major homeowner expense. 

One of the reasons I was able to retire at age 34 — and to be able to enjoy a comfortable living since that time — is that I pay attention to expenditures. These range from groceries to income taxes. Today I’ll explain some ins-and-outs of buying a replacement HVAC system, which typically runs $10,000 to $20,000 — but (based on certain variables) can be much more. I’m of the vintage where such an expenditure is still a big deal.

HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) is a common electric system used to control the temperature, humidity, and air quality in a home. Most HVAC systems are two parts: 1) an outside compressor, and 2) an inside air handler. The air handler is connected to supply ductwork (typically one or more in each room), plus return ductwork (which brings air from 3± selected places in the home that need to be “conditioned”: warmed or cooled).

The basic principle of a HVAC system is that it extracts heat from the inside air in the Summer (providing cooling), and it extracts heat from the outside air in Winter, sending warm air throughout the house.

My example (below) is about: a) an electric replacement system [not the first HVAC for a property], b) a home [not a business], c) just one system [multi-story homes can have one system per floor], and d) installed in North Carolina [different geographical areas can have some variables].

Just like I would do on any larger purchase, I keep track of everything on my computer (NOT phone). I set up a “New 2025 HVAC” folder. In that I have subfolders for each local company providing me a quote. I also have subfolders for other related materials, like IRS HVAC tax credits.

I then put together an Excel spreadsheet (in this folder) to record the main details for multiple expected quotes. I then carefully select several apparently competent providers to get quotes from. On the form, I keep track of several important variables in columns: a) company name, b) website, c) location, d) phone, e) visit date, f) brand quoted, g) cost, h) plus several more.

Hint: below the table section of the spreadsheet, leave several lines for making notes — e.g., explaining what abbreviated column headings mean. Yes, it takes some time to put this together properly, but it is an ESSENTIAL step!

The first part of my making a purchase decision involves the interface with a local HVAC company. These included such things as: a) their website, b) the person answering the phone [vs an answering machine], c) the ease of setting up an appointment, d) the timeliness of the estimator person, e) the thoroughness of the estimator, f) how well the estimator answered my questions, g) did they have a business card, h) the quality of the quote I received, etc. I gave each company a grade on my Excel spreadsheet. This comes into play when deciding between two companies that have given me roughly equal quotes. After all I will be dealing with these people for 10+ years.

With each local company, ask for written quotes for at least two (2) options: a good system and a higher efficiency one. Have these emailed to your computer. The higher efficiency version should save you electricity costs over its lifetime (15± years). Another benefit of the higher efficiency unit is that it may qualify for IRS (and maybe State) credits. However, the higher efficiency (more expensive) unit is not necessarily more reliable…

Once you get written quotes, you will start encountering terminology and practices that you need to understand somewhat, or you may be taken advantage of. Here are some factors that will likely come up:

  1. A quoted system will be something like “3 Tons.” As explained here, that has nothing to do with weight, but rather the cooling capacity of the system. [In a replacement situation, estimators will likely quote you the same capacity you already have. Make sure the prior system did an acceptable job!]
  2. On colder days (well below freezing), there isn’t much heat in the air to be extracted, so the HVAC system provides auxiliary electric heat. Usually, an HVAC system will have something like 10 kW — but be sure to ask. This is like having an electric space heater, which is more expensive to operate.
  3. SEER2 ratings are the current measurement of how efficient an HVAC system is, the higher the better. Good systems are 14± while high efficiency systems are 18+.
  4. New HVAC circuit breaker box and wiring (aka Whip). The company will likely say that this is needed “per code,” which is rarely the case. This is another advantage of getting multiple written quotes — if only one bidder says it’s needed, it is almost certainly unnecessary.
  5. New platform for the outside compressor unit. Again, if what you have seems solid, this is likely an arbitrary option that you should decline. [One exception is if your NFIP flood zone rating has changed, the platform may have to be raised to conform with your current rating.]
  6. Ultraviolet air treatment. This is rarely quoted, but it is a proven way to minimize airborne bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can cause health problems, etc. in your home. It also helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew in HVAC systems. Here is an article about this. This is a UV unit I bought to install, so use that as a reference for cost.
  7. Surge protector. This is also rarely quoted, but it is a wise idea to have one, as nearby lightning strikes, etc, can easily fry very expensive HVAC electronics. Here is one I bought and installed myself. Compare that cost to what you are quoted for someone else to purchase and install.
  8. Thermostat. If this is included, get the price if it is not itemized. With a Trane HVAC I was quoted, it included a fancy Trane thermostat for $460. You can get a high-end thermostat for under $200 (e.g., see here).
  9. Warranties are typically 1 year labor, 10-year limited warranty on parts. That said, carefully read the quotes for gotchas.
  10. Service costs. These are not usually on a quote, so you should ask: if I need service, what is your hourly rate? There can be big differences here. Also, some local companies will offer a special rate for new customers, or if you buy an annual service contract.
  11. Credit card fees. When you get a quote, ask if: a) there is a charge for using a credit card, and b) is there a discount for paying by check? In my case, one supplier offered a 3% discount for paying by check. That may seem small but on a $15,000 HVAC unit, that is $450.
  12. Tax Credits. If you play your cards right, you may qualify for an IRS $2000 credit (MUCH more valuable than a $2000 deduction!). See here for details… Some States have additional credits (see here for NC’s). Check out the conditions for those prior to buying. Also, ask the local company you are leaning toward for info. If you press them, they might even volunteer to do some of the paperwork!
  13. Baker’s Dozen Bonus. When there is a new HVAC system replacing a prior one, the party line is that they take the old one to the scrap heap. What if you have put in important parts (like the compressor) in the last year, and they work fine? That was my situation, so after I got written quotes from each potential supplier, I emailed them that question. The jury is still out if any will give me some credit for resaleable parts. In any case, I will keep some circuit boards and sell them on eBay…

Bottom Line —

I’m sharing this with you before I’ve made my selection. That said, the quotes so far range from $8,000 to $20,000 — a LARGE difference. Hopefully, you have found this semi-detailed overview of buying a replacement HVAC to be helpful. Questions or observations can be posted in the comments below.

©2025 All rights reserved.

Here is other information from this scientist that you might find interesting:

I am now offering incentives for you to sign up new subscribers!

I also consider reader submissions on Critical Thinking on my topics of interest.

Check out the Archives of this Critical Thinking substack.

For those using RSS feeds, use https://criticallythinking.substack.com/feed

WiseEnergy.org: discusses the Science (or lack thereof) behind our energy options.

C19Science.info: covers the lack of genuine Science behind our COVID-19 policies.

Election-Integrity.info: multiple major reports on the election integrity issue.

Media Balance Newsletter: a free, twice-a-month newsletter that covers what the mainstream media does not do, on issues from COVID to climate, elections to education, renewables to religion, etc. Here are the Newsletter’s 2025 Archives. Please send me an email to get your free copy. When emailing me, please make sure to include your full name and the state where you live. (Of course, you can cancel the Media Balance Newsletter at any time – but why would you?

SCOTUS Hands Trump Victory On Firing Democrat Appointees From Federal Boards

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed for President Donald Trump’s emergency request to dismiss Democrat members of both the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to stay.

During his first two months in office, Trump removed Democrat NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox and Democrat MSPB Board member Cathy Harris, a move both later challenged in lower courts. After taking up the case in April, the high court ruled 6-3 to temporarily block orders from lower courts refusing Wilcox and Harris to be removed, with the liberal justices in dissent.

“The stay reflects our judgment that the Government is likely to show that both the NLRB and MSPB exercise considerable executive power. But we do not ultimately decide in this posture whether the NLRB or MSPB falls within such a recognized exception; that question is better left for resolution after full briefing and argument,” the filing states.

“The stay also reflects our judgment that the Government faces greater risk of harm from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the filing continued.

Following their dismissals, Wilcox and Harris sued the Trump administration over their removal from the boards, as Wilcox had four years left on her term and Harris had three. By March, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the president to reinstate Wilcox, while U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled that Harris could not be terminated “at will.”

The Trump administration then brought the case to the Supreme Court on April 9, filing an emergency application after the lower courts ordered the reinstatement of both Wilcox and Harris. In response, Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative stay, temporarily halting their reinstatement and allowing the high court to consider the administration’s request.

With Thursday’s decision being temporary, the high court is expected to make an official ruling after hearing oral arguments likely next year, according to NPR.

AUTHOR

Hailey Gomez

General Assignment Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: GOP Rep Who Was Censured For Opposing Trans Athletes Sticks It To Democrats With Supreme Court Victory

RELATED VIDEO: The Wins Just Keep Coming | TODAY on THE REAL STORY

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.

Meet The 5 Republicans Who Didn’t Vote For Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Five House Republicans voted present, opposed or missed the vote on President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” which included major spending and tax cuts.

The House advanced the legislation mostly on party lines Thursday with a vote of 215-214-1. Among Republican lawmakers, Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie voted against it, Maryland Rep. Andy Harris voted present and New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino and Arizona Rep. David Schweikert were both absent from the vote.

Every House Democrat opposed the bill.

Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie voted cited concerns over its impact on the national deficit and the lack of reductions in federal spending.

“While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter, and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we’re in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO,” Davidson explained in a post on X.

Massie echoed Davidson’s remarks by sharing his post and expressing agreement. “If we were serious, we’d be cutting spending now, instead of promising to cut spending years from now,” he wrote.

Massie consistently opposed the bill during its consideration, criticizing lawmakers for relying on “fantasy math” when assessing its fiscal impact. 

During his visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters “No, I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government,” and “I think he’s a grandstander, frankly … I think he should be voted out of office.”

Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, who serves as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said he voted “present” to facilitate the legislative process.

“I voted to move the bill along in the process for the president. There is still a lot of work to be done in deficit reduction and ending waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program,” Harris wrote in a post on X.

Garabino’s spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Politico that “the Congressman briefly stepped out and inadvertently missed the vote.”

At a House GOP leadership press conference Thursday, Speaker Mike Johnson said Garbarino had fallen asleep during the vote. “Andrew Garabino did no make it in time,” the speaker said. “He fell asleep in the back. No kidding.”

Johnson said Schweikert had planned to back the legislation but cast his vote shortly after the voting period came to an end. A spokesman for the GOP representative told Politico the congressman arrived at the chamber’s floor as the vote came to a close.

Both representatives played significant parts in the legislation, with Garbarino advocating for a higher cap on the state-and-local-tax deduction and protecting clean energy tax credits and Schweikert being a senior member on the Ways and Means Committee, the outlet noted.

The “one big, beautiful bill” will now move to the Senate for consideration and may return to the House in the coming weeks with amendments. GOP leadership aimed to pass it out of the House by Memorial Day, with hopes of sending it to Trump’s desk by July.

AUTHOR

Ashley Brasfield

Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

‘Ultimate Betrayal’: White House Seeks To Bring Hammer Down On GOP Holdouts

Why Two Republicans Voted Against Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Meet The Republicans Standing Between Trump And His Big Beautiful Bill

‘Ultimate Betrayal’: White House Seeks To Bring Hammer Down On GOP Holdouts

How GOP Can Wage ‘War On Regulations’ With Trump’s ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’

RELATED VIDEO: A Big Beautiful Vote for the Big Beautiful Bill + Murder in D.C. + UK Aftermath | Sen. Marshall

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

Trump‘s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Delivers Decades-Long Conservative Wish List

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

If they blow this, the RNO underminers and saboteurs will pay dearly next elections.

You can’t make perfect the enemy of the good.

President Trump warned congressional Republicans on Tuesday not to “f**k around” with Medicaid, a stark pushback to conservative lawmakers demanding steeper cuts to the program in “one big, beautiful bill.” … Trump is already floating political retribution for Republican holdouts who don’t get in line. He also tore into Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has been a firm “no” on the bill throughout the process, blasting him publicly and privately as a “grandstander” and saying he should be “voted out of office.” Trump also warned the GOP’s blue state holdouts not to push too hard on the SALT deduction cap (Axios).

Trump‘s ‘big, beautiful bill’ delivers decades-long conservative wish list, if it outlasts bickering

The bill funds and codifies many of President’s priorities and could help GOP approval on Capitol Hill at a time when many voters aren’t pleased by lack of progress.

By Amanda Head, Just The News,  May 20, 2025:

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” that President Donald Trump personally lobbied Congress to pass Tuesday delivers on decades of conservative wishes, but first it must survive bickering over two very different issues: deductions for high-tax state voters and the size of spending cuts in an era of record debt.

Speaker Mike Johnson was working feverishly Tuesday night to eliminate one of the roadblocks — demands to increase the State and Local Taxes (SALT) Deduction cap — while fiscal hawks were being pressed to trust that Trump and his DOGE-infused, regulation-busting team can deliver more than the $1.6 trillion in spending cuts the current legislation enacts over the next decade.

A final push will require some conservatives to make a leap of faith, like Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, is taking.

“Look as a conservative, I want to save as much money as I can, and we have pushed for that in the Republican Study Committee,” Pfluger told Just the News on Tuesday. “But the President was pretty clear that we’ve worked five or six months straight on this, and it is time to get it done.

“That doesn’t mean that a guy like me doesn’t want more. Yes, of course I do. But I also want to govern, which means you don’t get 100% of everything you want every single time. You have to come back and do it again, and we will,” he said during an interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

There were signs of progress Tuesday night as blue-state Republicans who want more than the legislation’s tripling of the SALT deduction (from its current $10,000 cap to $30,000) were negotiating with Johnson toward a deal. A tentative agreement was reportedly reached late Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Col., told the Just The News, No Noise TV show, that conservative hawks were already making deeper cuts through the traditional appropriations process outside the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and succeeding in lowering spending from the targets set for some programs in a budget blueprint passed just weeks ago.

“I think we’ve already seen some of that happen already. In the reconciliation process, you actually have to pass the bill twice. The first time you pass the bill, you’re setting those top line numbers for how much either cuts or spending is going to occur under those committees of jurisdiction,” Evans explained.

“But then when you come through and you actually build the policies to meet those top line numbers, there’s no mandate that you actually have to spend all of the money that you’re allocated.”

Therefore, if this administration and Congress start treating congressional appropriations as ceilings, not floors, that will allow Trump to spend less when the job is done efficiently and for less money.

Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., told Just The News that spending will likely be reduced again this summer and fall after the reconciliation bill passes in the form of clawbacks of prior approved spending.

“He [Trump] can do that through rescission packages, which we would expect that he’ll be sending us some rescissions here sometime later on this year,” Yakym explained.

Meanwhile, high-profile conservatives like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan were imploring colleagues to appreciate and message to voters just how many conservative agenda items are stacked in the bill already, many which have been on wish lists for years or decades.

“What I think we really need to be doing as Republicans, is talking about how good this bill is,” Jordan said on the Just the News, No Noise TV show Monday. “I mean, there’s a reason Democrats hate it. Democrats hate it because it’s all about Republican principles.

“We’re the party that says cut taxes. We’re the party that says secure the border. We’re the party that says we should require work for able-bodied adults who are getting taxpayer money. This bill does all three of those,” he added.

The White House sent out an email from the Office of Communications outlining specific reasons it feels Republicans in Congress must unite behind the funding package. At the top of the list of 20 reasons why sits Trump’s tax cuts, which would be the largest in history and an extra $5,000 on average for Americans through a double-digit decrease to their tax bill. It also includes Trump’s “No Tax On Tips” and “No Tax On Overtime” and “No Tax on Social Security” provisions.

The list also prioritizes “Big, Beautiful Deportations,” permanently securing borders by making the largest border security investment in history. Much of that investment will be allocated to funding at least one million annual deportations of illegal immigrants.

The immigration allocation also includes funding to finish Trump’s border wall, which began construction during Trump’s first term. It also empowers immigration authorities to carry out their duties with an additional workforce of about 10,000 new ICE personnel, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents. For border workers on the front lines, they’ll receive $10,000 bonuses.

Trump has also been adamant that this bill, with his backing, will protect Medicaid by removing at least 1.4 million illegal migrants off the rolls, saving taxpayers’ money. Additionally, it requires able-bodied Americans to work if they receive benefits starting in January 2029.

The bill, according to the White House, also “reverses the spending curse plaguing Washington, D.C.” and delivers the largest deficit reduction in nearly 30 years, amounting to $1.6 trillion in mandatory spending.

This bill also reportedly puts an end to taxpayer-funded sex changes for minors. Under the Biden administration, Medicaid covered so-called “gender transition” procedures for minors. The provision in this bill reverses that.

The legislation also allows for historic modernization and a complete overhaul to air traffic control after several recent accidents and harrowing near misses.

Joe Biden’s massive climate change spending — derided by the GOP as the “Green New Scam” — is effectively a thing of the past too. This bill repeals every “green” corporate welfare subsidy and ends the electric vehicle mandates imposed by the Biden administration.

The bill provides for “MAGA Accounts” for newborns to allow parents to start saving money, and it also increases the child tax credit and strengthens paid family leave.

In the growing gig economy, it repeals the requirement that Venmo, PayPal and other gig transactions over $600 be reported to the IRS.

And family farmers are prioritized in the bill, cutting their taxes by over $10 billion and eliminating so-called death taxes that keep some farms from being passed down through generations.

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

RELATED ARTICLES:

20 Reasons Why Congress Must Unite Behind the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

One Big Beautiful Bill Will Stop Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz From Getting $2 Million Every Day

Pro-Life Group Thanks Speaker Mike Johnson for Getting Planned Parenthood Defunding Bill Approved

POSTS ON X:

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

20 Reasons Why Congress Must Unite Behind the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

Congressional Republicans MUST unite to pass President Donald J. Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill and take advantage of the once-in-a-generation opportunity they were given by voters.

Here are 20 reasons why Congress must unite behind the One, Big, Beautiful Bill:

  1. It delivers the largest tax cut in American history. This means an extra $5,000 in Americans’ pockets with a DOUBLE-DIGIT percent DECREASE to their tax bills. Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay around 15% less in taxes.

  2. It includes NO TAX ON TIPS and NO TAX ON OVERTIME. This makes good on two of President Trump’s cornerstone campaign promises and will benefit hardworking Americans where they need it the most — their paychecks.

  3. It delivers Big, Beautiful Deportations. The bill permanently secures our borders by making the largest border security investment in history, funding at least one million annual removals of illegal immigrants and ramping up “mass deportation operations to a level never before seen in American history.”

  4. It finishes President Trump’s border wall. As a result, 701 miles of primary wall, 900 miles of river barriers, 629 miles of secondary barriers, and 141 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers will be constructed — stopping deadly fentanyl from flowing into our communities and securing the border from dangerous illegal immigrant murderers and rapists.

  5. It boosts Border Patrol and ICE agents on the frontlines. It empowers immigration authorities to carry out their mission by hiring 10,000 new ICE personnel, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents — and gives $10,000 bonuses in each of the next four years to agents on the frontlines.

  6. It protects Medicaid for Americans by kicking 1.4 million illegals off the benefits. This bill eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse by ending benefits for at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants who are gaming the system.

  7. It requires able-bodied Americans to work if they receive benefits. With 4.8 million able-bodied adults choosing not to work, The One, Big, Beautiful Bill puts work requirements in place and supports them as they find dignity through employment.

  8. It reverses the spending curse plaguing Washington, D.C. The legislation delivers the largest deficit reduction in nearly 30 years, with $1.6 trillion in mandatory savings.

  9. It ends taxpayer-funded sex change for minors. It reverses the Biden-era mandate that Medicaid cover so-called “gender transition” procedures for minors — ending the taxpayer-funded chemical castration and mutilation of American children.

  10. It provides historic tax relief to Social Security recipients. It slashes taxes on seniors’ Social Security benefits.

  11. It will give Americans PERMANENT tax relief through the Trump Tax Cuts. If the bill doesn’t pass, Americans will see the largest tax increase in history.

  12. It finally modernizes air traffic control, fulfilling President Trump’s plan to completely overhaul the systems that keep Americans flying safely and efficiently. This will allow President Trump to update our air traffic control systems and act where the Biden Administration failed (despite repeated warnings).

  13. It ends the taxpayer-funded Green New Scam. The legislation repeals or phases out every “green” corporate welfare subsidy in Democrats’ so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” immediately stops credits from flowing to China and saves taxpayers $500+ billion every year, and reverses electric vehicle mandates that let radical climate activists set the standards for American energy.

  14. It incentivizes MADE IN AMERICA. It rewards companies that build their products in America with lower taxes — and allows Americans who buy an American-made vehicle to fully deduct their auto loan interest.

  15. It is pro-family. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill increases the child tax credit, establishes MAGA Accounts for newborns to start saving, and strengthens paid family leave.

  16. It repeals Democrats’ insane attack on the gig economy. It repeals the requirement that Venmo, PayPal, and other gig transactions over $600 be reported to the IRS.

  17. It protects family farmers. The bill prevents the greedy death tax from hitting two million family-owned farms who would otherwise see their exemptions cut in half and cuts taxes on farmers by over $10 billion.

  18. It’s a once-in-a-generation chance to revolutionize our nation’s defense capabilities and protect the homeland against new threats. It funds President Trump’s Golden Dome, invests in American shipbuilding, and modernizes our military.

  19. It unleashes American energy dominance. The legislation increases onshore and offshore oil and gas leases, which provides certainty for energy producers, spurs job growth, and makes energy more affordable for American consumers.

  20. It boosts American mineral development. This bill increases mining of domestic minerals and makes America less dependent on foreign adversaries for critical minerals.

©2025 . All rights reserved.